American Lung Association of Illinois Urges Support for Taylorville Energy Center Clean Coal Project.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The American Lung Association of Illinois (ALA) announced today that it is supporting development of the proposed Taylorville Energy Center, a power generating facility that incorporates state-of-the-art Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) clean coal technology.

As a leading public health organization in Illinois, ALA is committed to promoting lung health and preventing lung disease. Historically, conventional power plants burning coal have been a major contributor to public health problems because of high sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and particulate emissions. With advanced clean coal IGCC technologies, such as those incorporated into the Taylorville Energy Center, the harmful effects of coal are minimized.

Approximately 20 million Americans have asthma, which accounts for an estimated 12.8 million lost school days in children and 24.5 million lost work days in adults. To achieve its mission, ALA environmental programs work to identify and reduce exposure to harmful environmental triggers of asthma and lung cancer. The organization is particularly interested in encouraging pollution prevention that goes beyond compliance.

"We have watched IGCC technology develop for a long time and are excited at this remarkable opportunity to make Illinois a national leader in developing next generation clean coal technologies," said Angela Tin, director of environmental programs for ALA Illinois. "Taylorville Energy Center is a perfect example of a project that uses coal in an environmentally responsible manner. We urge others to support this project."

For more information regarding ALA Environmental Programs, please contact Angela Tin, Director of Environmental Programs at 217-787-5864.