By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – St. Louis-based Peabody Energy says it has reached agreements with several taxing authorities in Washington County, Ill. on assessments for a proposed coal mine and adjacent power plant. Peabody plans to build the $2 billion Prairie State Energy Campus in rural Washington County, near the town of Marissa.
The company filed a complaint in Washington County Circuit Court earlier this month arguing that its 2004 tax assessments were excessive and illegal.
The new agreement was approved by a circuit court judge. Peabody's 31 parcels on the 1,200-acre site will be assessed as farmland until construction is complete in four years.
Peabody says the project would create about 2,500 construction jobs and 450 permanent jobs.