Sierra Club appeals FutureGen permit decision

The Sierra Club is appealing an Illinois regulators' conclusion that the pollution controls for the FutureGen clean-coal project are adequate.

The Sierra Club said in a news release Thursday that it has filed a state-court appeal of the Illinois Pollution Control Board's decision to allow the FutureGen project to proceed. The board last month rejected the environmental group's claim.

The coal companies working on the FutureGen project, known as the FutureGen Alliance, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Construction of the $1.65 billion FutureGen project is under way near Meredosia in western Illinois. The federal government is covering $1 billion.

The money is being used to refit a coal-fired power plant. Carbon dioxide from the coal used at the plant would be pumped underground and stored.