Letter to the Editor

State plant to create hundreds of jobs

Sunday, December 16, 2012

To the Editor:

Lincolnland Economic Development Corporation is recruiting the $2.8 billion Indiana Gasification LLC clean energy project for Indiana.

That plant represents hundreds of permanent, high-paying jobs in newer, cleaner advanced industrial technologies.

In addition, it will revive hundreds of jobs in related industries, and it will support yet another thousand laborers during construction.

Indiana suppliers and vendors will also benefit.

The company will create a new resource for Indiana's waterway and rail commerce.

Our region needs these jobs and revenues.

Indiana Gasification's process is the cleanest, most innovative industrial use of coal in history. It will even generate millions of extra barrels of domestic oil each year.

Our state's agreement with Indiana Gasification requires the company to give Hoosier ratepayers a corporate financial guarantee, and some inventive revenue sharing.

This is unheard of security.

Indiana Gasification's cooperation with state and federal government reflects public sector encouragement of the private sector to develop alternative energy, while protecting our environment.

The plan is conceived by one of America's top environmentalists, researched by top academics, designed by environmental engineers and approved by IDEM and EPA.

It will diversify our energy portfolio, and it will create the opportunity for us to make more of our own energy, and to employ more of our own people.

Sincerely,

Tom Utter,

Executive Director,

Lincolnland Economic Development Corporation,

Rockport