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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Coal gasification technologies are considered a | ||||||
| 3 | cleaner method of producing energy by converting coal into a | ||||||
| 4 | synthetic gas; the procedure also allows for larger use of | ||||||
| 5 | Illinois coal, which many coal-fired power plants have stopped | ||||||
| 6 | using due to its high sulfur content; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Last year, Secure Energy, Inc. purchased property | ||||||
| 8 | for a coal gasification project to produce synthetic natural | ||||||
| 9 | gas from Illinois coal; the $250 million facility would | ||||||
| 10 | generate approximately 40 permanent jobs and would use 600,000 | ||||||
| 11 | tons of Illinois coal each year from the Viper Mine in Elkhart; | ||||||
| 12 | and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Secure Energy sought financial assistance from | ||||||
| 14 | the State and has been waiting nearly a year for final approval | ||||||
| 15 | for a $14,100,000 coal development grant; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, Illinois' Coal Development Fund was created to | ||||||
| 17 | assist the development of coal and energy projects, especially | ||||||
| 18 | projects that promote to use of Illinois coal; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, In November of 2007, the Governor removed more | ||||||
| 20 | than $10,200,000 from the Coal Development Fund to provide | ||||||
| 21 | temporary funding for the Regional Transportation Authority, | ||||||
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| 1 | and now there is not sufficient moneys in the Coal Development | ||||||
| 2 | Fund to support Secure Energy's grant; therefore, be it
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| 3 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 4 | NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that, | ||||||
| 5 | in accordance with Section 3-2 of the Illinois State Auditing | ||||||
| 6 | Act, the Auditor General is directed to conduct a performance | ||||||
| 7 | audit of the activities of the Department of Commerce and | ||||||
| 8 | Economic Opportunity and other State agencies with respect to | ||||||
| 9 | actions taken under the Illinois Coal and Energy Development | ||||||
| 10 | Bond Act, particularly with respect to deposits into and | ||||||
| 11 | transfers, appropriations, and other withdrawals from the Coal | ||||||
| 12 | Development Fund; and be it further | ||||||
| 13 | RESOLVED, that in accordance with Section 3-4 of the | ||||||
| 14 | Illinois State Auditing Act, the Auditor General is also | ||||||
| 15 | directed to investigate the propriety of the method by which | ||||||
| 16 | moneys were removed from the Coal Development Fund and given to | ||||||
| 17 | the Regional Transportation Authority; and be it further | ||||||
| 18 | RESOLVED, that the Auditor General commence this audit as | ||||||
| 19 | soon as possible and report his findings and recommendations | ||||||
| 20 | upon completion in accordance with the provisions of the | ||||||
| 21 | Illinois State Auditing Act; and be it further
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| 22 | RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be delivered to | ||||||
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| 1 | the Auditor General.
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