A ray of hope

Two large fuel-producing plants are looking at Alexander County in Illinois and its biggest city, Cairo, as potential locations for operations that would, if successful, create thousands of jobs in the economically starved area. If ever there was a time for city and county leaders to work together, it is while these plans are being made.

Alexander County is considered the poorest of all Illinois counties. But Cairo's location at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, plus it rail and highway connections, make it attractive to industries that require transportation facilities.

One proposed plant, announced last year, is the Bunge Ltd. partnership with Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group for a biodiesel plant in Cairo. The latest announcement is that an as-yet-unnamed developer is considering a site north of Cairo for coal gasification plant.

Both projects would require resources that county and city officials would have to provide. If these projects ever become a reality, they could provide the area with an economic base and job opportunities that might erase three decades of declining fortunes.

Like most projects of this scope, their success will depend largely on how well Cairo and Alexander County officials work with the backers. This also is a time for due diligence by those same officials, who need to know what they're getting into and decide if either or both of these proposals would be in the area's long-term best interest.