"Picture Decatur" (Decatur IL)

November 2014:  the Secure Energy Inc. facility between the Caterpillar plant and Brush College Road is being demolished this month. "In April 2007, the EPA issued an air permit for the construction of Secure Energy's proposed gasification plant in Decatur, Illinois. The proposed plant will convert up to 1.4 million tons per year of high-sulfur Illinois coal into pipeline quality natural gas. In January 2007, the company purchased a 24-acre site and coal-burning building from Caterpillar Inc. The purchased land and building were part of the Decatur Caterpillar complex, which still houses a 25 year old boiler that has never been used." Some equipment was moved in (read about that below), but pretty much nothing was ever done with the plant except for the painting of a nice American flag. March 11, 2009 •  TONY REID - Herald & Review DECATUR - The $800 million Secure Energy Inc. coal gasification energy pro...

Last July, we posted photos of the work site downtown where the clean-up of the old coal gasification facility was taking place.  View those photos HERE . Now, 12 months later, work is wrapping up, and the dismantling of the large "circus tent" is well underway. Here are shots from today:

have you seen the large white tent that has been erected along Martin Luther King Drive between Main and Wood Streets? No, it's not a circus that's come to town. Ameren (formerly Illinois Power) has started an 18 month project to clean-up contamination from the former coal gasification plant that was located on this site dating all the way back to 1865. piece of air quality monitoring equipment on site another piece of air quality monitoring equipment on site read more about the project in these 2 articles from the Herald & Review: http://herald-review.com/news/local/ameren-cleaning-up-former-coal-gasification-site-in-decatur/article_57afe116-daf6-11e2-bc4e-001a4bcf887a.html http://herald-review.com/business/local/ameren-shows-precautions-at-old-gasification-site/article_43f23842-de19-11e2-a91c-001a4bcf887a.html (most pictures can be enlarged by clicking on it)