MATTOON - Coles Together has collected $500,000 during its winter fundraiser for supporting FutureGen Alliance, Coles Together announced Friday.

"Our goal is to tell the FutureGen Alliance Board of Directors that the community's $3 million has been raised when it meets in Mattoon on Feb. 5 and 6," said Steve Grissom, Coles Together Board of Directors chairman. "We believe this goal is achievable because our generous community has proven itself time and again.

"In fact, the day we announced our short-term fundraising project, individuals and organizations donated $275,000. As of today (Friday), we have received donations and pledges totaling over $500,000."

Donation commitments totaled $2 million from two prominent Coles County charity foundations before Coles Together went public last week with its effort to collect money for FutureGen Alliance as part of an incentive commitment. An additional $100,000 came from two longtime members of Coles Together prior to the announcement.

"While FutureGen is attracting international attention both to East Central Illinois and to Coles County, it is a project of the community, for the community. So much of our future depends on it," said Joyce Madigan, Coles Together treasurer.

Concerns over the direction of the energy project apparently have not discouraged contributors, judging by the donation total in a little over a week. But Coles Together officers have promised contributions will be returned if the program is sidetracked due to political infighting in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Energy has questioned the escalating cost of the project, estimated at $1.8 billion, which has doubled since the project was announced five years ago. The department has suggested "rescoping" the project, perhaps using multiple sites to test whether carbon dioxide from coal used in the plant could be safely stored underground. The FutureGen Alliance is resisting changes to the plan.

The department has withheld issuing a record of decision on the project, which means federal funding cannot move forward as the Alliance, an international consortium of energy and coal-related businesses, works get the final design and sitework ready on the power plant. It would be built in coming years on a 400-plus acre site west of Mattoon near the Dole Road south of Illinois 121.

"If the land is purchased, we will assume the project will move forward. However, if it doesn't, it is the intention of all the parties that the land will be returned to us, the community," Grissom said.