U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, (D) Illinois, has announced the Department of Energy has awarded two grants totaling $10 million to the Illinois State Geological Survey to research the feasibility of a commercial-scale geologic storage of carbon dioxide to reduce greenhouse emissions.
Carbon is frequently released into the air from coal fired power plants and industry. The Geological Survey will look into the possibility of storing 50 million tons of carbon dioxide underground. As part of the research a test well will be drilled in 2017 near Forsyth in Macon County.
Durbin announced the grant at the National Sequestration Education Center on the Decatur campus of Richland Community College.