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While Illinois politicians cry foul over the Department of Energy's "deceptive" cancellation of the nearly $2 billion FutureGen project, and scurry to circumvent the department's decision to withdraw federal funding from the project's ballooning budget, they have effectively limited the debate over whether FutureGen is really in our economic best interest. The resounding message is the "clean coal" pipe dream. Even in the minds of government officials whose life's work is to handle our national energy policy, is not economically viable.

Even in the wake of all this, our administration is considering going down the same economically risky road.

Indeed, much of southern Illinois is rural, poverty stricken and starving for some sort of economic revitalization, but our legislators and university officials are doing us a disservice by proposing coal as any part of the long-term solution to our problems.

For some, this might be a tough pill to swallow since so much of southern Illinois' cultural identity comes from its days as a major coal-mining region and is still populated by many sons and daughters of proud, hardworking coal miners.

The truth of the matter is Illinois needs a new vision and a new cultural identity for a new generation that has come to learn how destructive each phase of coal's life cycle is, but also respects and pays homage to the workers who made that industry prosper and are needed more than ever to create a new vision of southern Illinois.

This vision, one of an economy that ensures dignified jobs that are good for workers and respectful to our environment, is the only option we have. It's believed by most of the world's respected scientists, including NASA's chief climatologist James Hansen, that to avoid the worst affects of global warming, we must reduce our carbon emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050. This will take more than an easy fix like sticking emissions from coal plants underground and praying they don't leak out any time soon. To meet the challenge posed by global warming, the entire U.S. economy must switch from a carbon economy to a green economy.

We stand at the dawning of a new economy where countless new working class jobs will be necessary to make the massive transition. The only question is, will Illinois take advantage of the coming race for clean renewable energy technology, or will we let the coal industry convince us to drag our heels with expensive, risky projects like FutureGen?

We southern Illinoisans think we're getting a gift, but really we're about to get a big lump of coal.

If Illinois lawmakers really cared about the welfare of working class Illinoisans, they'd be offering tax incentives to encourage investment in green industry and seeking federal funding to help them flourish in Illinois.

Coal and oil are dinosaurs (pun intended). Wind and solar power and energy efficiency are the up and coming industries of the 21st century. All y'all sittin' in Anthony Hall, and your friends in Springfield, need to do the right thing 'cause there's a movement building and it's not "out there." It's here on campus.

We are the future, and coal is over.

Chris Klarer is a senior majoring in art.

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