CHICAGO, Dec. 12 Midwest Generation announced a plan Tuesday for long-range emissions reductions with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.The agreement commits the Edison Mission Group, Midwest Generation's parent company, to work with Illinois to develop new wind power projects that generate up to 400 megawatts of power. The plan in Illinois is ahead of federal regulations. Some of the projects include clean coal generation and permanent carbon sequestration.This agreement means cleaner air and cleaner water, and that means fewer health problems for children, for pregnant women, and for people all across Illinois, Blagojevich said. The plan intends to reduce mercury emissions by installing controls at facilities in Chicago and Waukegan, Ill., by July 2008, paying special attention to contamination in Lake Michigan. The agreement also includes plans to reduce nitrogen oxide by 66 percent in 2012 and sulfur dioxide by 78 percent in 2018 as well. The Midwest Generation stations will implement the pollution control equipment as part of a design to reduce pollution around Lake Michigan and the Chicago metropolitan area.This agreement provides long-term certainty for both the state and our company, helps the state and city of Chicago achieve their clean air goals, and allows us to plan and manage significant capital investments and projects in a reasonable timeframe, said Ted Craver, Edison Mission Group chief executive officer. Copyright 2006 by UPI
