CARBONDALE, Ill. - John S. Mead wants to take Southern Illinois University Carbondale's clean-coal research to a higher level.

The director of the University's Coal Research Center is pursuing federal funds to create a Center of Excellence for Energy Systems of the Future. Initially, the new center could provide funds for expansion and renovation of the Illinois Coal Development Park in Carterville and other critical Illinois facilities. Ongoing annual funding would provide critical support to develop projects.

Mead said the initiative is in its formative stage.

"What we're doing is suggesting ideas to leaders in government and industry at this stage," he said. "With the advice and comments we're getting back from them, we'll be shaping the initiative."

The Center of Excellence would be part of SIUC's Coal Research Center. Mead believes the process of putting together a funding package could take several years.

"The first step is to take a look at the needs, looking at what kind of program we feel we can deliver," he said. "Second is seeing how that fits into nationwide and worldwide activities. Third is the practical aspect of getting federal funds as well as other partners involved where appropriate or necessary."

The new center would offer an array of experimental hardware from bench- to pilot-plant scale. The systems would be used to evaluate the proposed processes and to demonstrate technologies. In addition, the center would have a fully equipped facility for in-house fabrication of conversion systems, pilot- and bench-scale test stands and process plumbing.

Most Illinois coal contains elements that can contribute to acid rain and other pollution problems. As a result, electric utilities have turned to cleaner, western coal in recent years to comply with tougher clean air laws.

That's meant hard times for Illinois coal companies. Nearly 15,000 miners have lost their jobs over the last 20 years due to a combination of shrinking markets and more efficient mining practices.
Former SIUC Interim Chancellor John S. Jackson believes the proposed center could play a significant role in re-invigorating the state's coal industry.

"There's certainly no single magic bullet, but we're contributing to the future of coal," Jackson said.
Members of U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello's staff have been working with the House Science

Committee staff to draft legislative language for the Center of Excellence concept. The Belleville Democrat is a member of the committee.

"We've gotten pretty good feedback from the committee staff," Costello spokesman David C. Gillies said. "The concept potentially will be part of future legislation. We're trying to do something with it."

Mead is concerned with the level of funding proposed for the development of clean-coal technology in the Bush administration's energy plan - $2 billion over 10 years. He shared those concerns last month with a U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science subcommittee.
"While most of the new funding should go to commercialization-scale projects, funding is
also needed to develop technologies for the future," he said. "We're looking to get resources and tools to develop truly advanced, ultra-clean technology."

He noted that Illinois has a strong support program for expanding the industrial use of coal. What's needed at the federal level are "activities that augment existing programs."

Illinois could well be poised for a resurgence in mining. The Illinois Coal Basin, which includes parts of Indiana and Western Kentucky, has coal reserves that could last at least 250 years, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. While reserves and production levels are higher in the Rocky Mountain West, that coal has a lower British thermal unit (Btu) rating than the coal found in Illinois.

Wyoming is the biggest coal-producing state; a third of all coal mined in the United States comes from a single county.

"While some other regions possess lower-sulfur coal, Illinois is well-positioned to be one of the most important coal mining and energy-producing centers in the country," Mead said. "We have good reclamation practices for surface and underground mining. The state was really a leader in reclamation, and we continue to be. There is a good, motivated work force. When mining is done in an appropriate manner, there's a tremendous amount of support in the region. We're ideally located to produce electrical power."