* 5:00 pm - The bill is not absolutely and completely finalized yet, but it appears that the $2 billion FutureGen coal project has been dumped from the federal stimulus package. This project was US Sen. Dick Durbin’s top priority for the bill, and the experimental low-emission coal-fired electricity plant would’ve likely been located in southern Illinois. Oops.

TPM has also posted a confidential report on the stimulus details as known right now.

*** UPDATE *** This story in the Washington Independent claims the FutureGen money is gone. But another story in the Washington Post claims FutureGen appropriation was cut in half…

One of the biggest targets of GOP complaints was a measure in the Senate version of the bill that did not name a recipient but would have provided $2 billion for “one or more near zero emissions power plant(s).” Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and other Republicans say the provision was clearly directed at reviving the FutureGen Alliance project, a proposed “clean coal” plant in Illinois.

Coburn called the item the “largest earmark in American history,” but in the end he was able to claim only a partial victory, as the conference bill still contains $1 billion that could be spent on FutureGen.

Also see: Stimulus update: Adios to big nuke, coal assistance

[ *** End of Update ***]

* Other stimulus stuff…

* Conference Report on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Preliminary Overview

* Mass Transit Gets Some More Stimulus Love

* Final education numbers

* Polls: Support For Stimulus Package Rises

* Recovery Agreement Temporarily Expands Child Tax Credit for Large Numbers of Children in Every State