ROCKPORT — The developers of a planned southern Indiana coal gasification plant are trying to gain public support for the $2.2 billion project.
The president North Carolina-based E3 Gasification told a standing-room crowd at a Rockport community center Thursday night that the plant$would save electricity customers money and be environmentally safe.
But retired geologist Steve Obermeier says members of Spencer County Citizens for Quality of Life have gathered about 1,000 petition signatures opposing the plant, which would convert coal into synthetic natural gas. He says those living around the Ohio River community are worried about potential health problems.
Rockport Mayor Nedra Groves said she supported the project and that the area needed the jobs.
The Evansville Courier & Press reports that environmental impact reports will be completed in about six months.
