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FutureGen Project Drilling Test Well in Western Illinois

 The developers of the $1.3 billion FutureGen clean-coal project are drilling a test well in western Illinois and say they're on schedule to pump carbon dioxide underground for storage in 2016.

FutureGen Alliance CEO Kenneth Humphrey said Thursday that crews have so far drilled 375 feet into a well in Morgan County that will eventually reach 5,000 feet. The site near Jacksonville is about 30 miles west of Springfield.

If the site works FutureGen plans to refit a nearby coal-fired power plant with experimental low-emissions coal technology. The greenhouse has carbon dioxide from the coal would be captured and stored.

Some area residents are concerned about the safety of storing the gas underground. Others like Andy Davenport worry that the price tag will rise.

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