Illinois regulators have approved a 28-mile FutureGen Alliance pipeline proposal that will carry carbon dioxide through the western part of the state.
The Illinois Commerce Commission signed off on the proposal this week. But its permission is contingent on the federal government giving final approval to the $1.68 billion project.
FutureGen will capture carbon dioxide from a coal-burning power plant in Meredosia. The carbon dioxide would then be injected into underground wells near Jacksonville (about 20 miles to the east) and stored.
Organizers of the long-planned public-private project want permits to inject 1.1 million metric tons a year for 20 years in a practice known as "carbon sequestration."
The permits would be the first in the nation for injecting and storing the gas underground.