SENATOR SELIGER FILES FUTUREGEN LEGISLATION
Package of Bills Will Significantly Strengthen Texas' FutureGen Bid
AUSTIN, Texas - State Senator Kel Seliger today filed legislation designed to ensure Texas has the strongest bid possible for FutureGen, a $1 billion, federally sponsored, clean-coal demonstration project.
"The package of four bills I filed today culminates hundreds of hours of work over three years by a legion of dedicated Texans throughout the state and in the Permian Basin who want Texas to become home to this historic energy project," Seliger said.
The four bills are:
- Senate Bill 1458 - Authorizes the governor of Texas to enter into a contract with the FutureGen Industrial Alliance for the operation of FutureGen.
- Senate Bill 1459 - Indemnifies the Texas Department of Criminal Justice against carbon dioxide liability and brings the resources of the Texas Attorney General's Office to assist with any liability issues.
- Senate Bill 1460 - Authorizes a margin's tax credit for the purchase of FutureGen electricity.
- Senate Bill 1461 - Combines SB 1458 and SB 1459 into a single bill.
"Without the commitment Governor Perry has made to this effort, Texas would not be a finalist for this critical clean coal technology project. I applaud Senator Seliger for stepping up at this important juncture to carry the final piece of our FutureGen legislation; a package that will move us boldly, and confidently, to the finish line," said Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael L. Williams, chairman of the FutureGen Texas Advisory Board, and the Governor's Clean Coal Technology Council.
State Representative Byron Cook of Corsicana today filed an identical package of FutureGen legislation in the Texas House.
FutureGen will use gasification technology to produce coal-fueled electricity with near-zero emissions by capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide.
Texas has two of the final four sites in national competition for the project - one near Odessa in the Permian Basin, which is in Seliger's Senatorial District, and the other near Jewett in the Heart of Brazos Region. The other two sites in contention for the project are in Illinois. The Alliance plans to select a FutureGen host site in September.
"These four bills will markedly strengthen the Texas proposal, and I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to our pursuit of FutureGen. I am proud to build on the work that has been done, and continues to be done, by the Permian Basin team as part of the overall state effort," Seliger said.
Seliger is serving the citizens of District 31 in his first term in the Texas Senate. The district spans 26 counties from the Panhandle to the Permian Basin and includes Amarillo, Midland, Odessa and Big Spring.
