State Journal-Register
John Reynolds
A deal to provide tax incentives for a Houston-based company to build a $1 billion natural gas power plant near Pawnee took another step forward Tuesday.
Springfield City Council members decided that a proposal to extend the boundaries of the Springfield/Sangamon County Enterprise Zone to accommodate the plant will appear on the agenda at Tuesday’s city council meeting. The decision came after council members heard from supporters who said the plant would generate jobs and detractors who said the plant would adversely affect the quality of life in Pawnee.
“We currently enjoy the peace and quiet the south part of Pawnee provides,” said Pawnee resident Michelle Young. “Our backyard often has deer and turkey roaming the creek. Pawnee has been a great place to raise a family, but many residents are feeling threatened that this could all completely change with the addition of a power plant. Please consider how you would feel if this were proposed so close to your home.”
Brad Schaive, business manager for Laborers Local 477, told aldermen that the plant offers unprecedented opportunities.
“I don’t see a lot of hiring at the state. I don’t see a lot of hiring in the medical industry currently. I see a lot of boarded-up businesses,” he said.
The city council is one of several governmental entities that must sign off on tax incentives for the EmberClear Corp. project. Representatives of the company say the incentives are essential to constructing the 1,110-megawatt-capacity plant. The Sangamon County Board OK’d the property zoning and sales tax breaks in May.
A study commissioned by the city of Springfield and completed by The Energy Authority Inc. indicated that the EmberClear plant could result in nearly $20 million in lost profit to CWLP over the next 20 years.
Earlier this summer Mayor Jim Langfelder’s administration started working on a deal with EmberClear that the mayor said would lessen any negative impact on the city.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 