State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) has been appointed to the newly created Nonprofit Electric Generation Task Force, which aims to investigate carbon capture and debt financing options for the Prairie State Energy Campus in Marissa.
“Prairie State is a vital economic driver that employs more than 600 permanent, full-time workers and stimulates an additional 800 jobs within Southern Illinois,” said Sen. Bryant. “Without Prairie State, 180 different communities would lose access to cheap and affordable electricity that provides power to more than 2.5 million families and businesses.”
The Nonprofit Electric Generation Task Force has been charged with investigating the technical and financial options to install carbon capture, sequestration, and direct air capture systems at the Prairie State Energy Campus, as well as evaluating the existing regulatory construct and legislative support mechanisms needed to reduce carbon at the facility. The members of the Task Force will be responsible for preparing and filing a report of their findings to the General Assembly and Governor.
“I want to thank Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie for appointing me to this Task Force so we can build upon the work that Prairie State has already started,” said Bryant. “I look forward to working with the other members of this Task Force as we strive to install a carbon capturing system that will allow the generating station to continue to power homes and businesses for generations.”
The Nonprofit Electric Generation Task Force will be composed of 13 members, including a legislator from each caucus, a representative of the local municipalities with an ownership interest in Prairie State, and a representative of a labor union or building trade with technical experience at a coal generation facility, as well as various other energy and utility stakeholders.