Getting back to the subject of economic development and Midland, let's talk about FutureGen.
http://www.beg.utexas.edu/futuregentexas/
What is FutureGen? It is a revolutionary "facility that is capable of producing hydrogen and sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2). " In laymans terms, it works like this:
Coal is burned to produce electricity. This is a common practice around the world, but the downside has always been pollution. However, with FutureGen, the CO2 that is created in the burning process is contained and redistributed for use in other ways. Oil companies, for example, can use that CO2 to push oil closer to the surface where oil wells can reach and thus, tap into oil supplies that heretofore were unreachable. Thus... we have more oil and gas.
Also produced through the burning of coal is Hydrogen. With automakers looking into automobiles that run on hydrogen, a cleaner energy source than gasoline, we now have a steady supply of hydrogen through such a plant.
So, in summary, FutureGen is an energy producing plant that has very little, if any, pollution, while at the same time is producing electricity, CO2 for resale purposes and further energy production, and hydrogen for even more energy.
Midland-Odessa are two cities that togetther are the home of over 200,000+ people. Though Odessa specifically is being considered as a sight for FutureGen, Midland would benefit in that we are the home of many oil companies and have been for generations. The building of such a plant as this would bring in billions of dollars through construction and operation, and create thousands of jobs for the Permian Basin. The ramifications of this plant are nearly unending.
In an article published by the Midland Reporter Telegram, delegates charged with selecting a possible location for the new FutureGen plant visited West Texas: http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16020995&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475626&rfi=6 It is my hope that they will see the benefits of bringing this plant to West Texas. Midland-Odessa have been the oil capital of the U.S. for many years past. Now, with this and other initiatives taking place nearby, Midland-Odessa could soon become not just the Permian Basin, but could better be called the Energy Basin.
So many possiblities exist in our region. I encourage everyone to read up on FutureGen and similar prospects for energy. They will become a new way to the future... and I'm looking forward to seeing it all come to life!
Take care!
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