The Illinois Senate this (Tuesday) afternoon passed legislation allowing the 3-point-5 billion dollar Tenaska coal gasification project northeast of Taylorville, to be built. The final vote was 30 yes, 28 no. Here's how Senate president John Cullerton announced the final vote:

TENASKA VOTE NOV 29 111[audio:TenaskavoteNov29111.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Lawmakers have fought to put the plant in Taylorville for several years. The measure is expected to create hundreds of jobs in the Taylorville area. Senator Kyle McCarter has been an outspoken opponent of the bill. He says the plan will not only raise rates on electric customers but it has serious problems with pollution controls. Senate President John Cullerton says there are provisions in the bill that protect customers from extreme increases. In fact, he says the rate increase can’t exceed two percent and all increases must be cleared by the Illinois Commerce Commission. Cullerton says no increases will go into effect until 2017. The bill now heads to the House in this week's Special Session.

The plant would bring with it some 25-hundred construction jobs and over 200 permanent jobs, to Christian County.