Politico's Eamon Javers:

It became a sort of poster child for fiscal responsibility - a clean-coal power plant in Illinois that was one of then-Sen. Barack Obama's pet projects. Democrats insisted they were so serious about keeping pork out of the stimulus bill that it was President Obama himself who blocked the FutureGen project from the massive spending package.

[...]

The Department of Energy on Friday announced that the FutureGen project is on track after all, committing federal stimulus money to advance the project to its next stage. One reason: It was the only shovel-ready project that fits the requirements of the stimulus bill. Administration officials and the project's other big backer, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), insist that's not an earmark at all, as promised - because the stimulus bill doesn't specifically name the FutureGen project as a recipient of the money.

Well, the requirements for the project to be funded were tailor-made to basically limit the options to Illinois. The devil is always in the details. This is Senator Stealth  lifted up to the Presidency, who wants to reward his home state,and , more importantly, Senator Dick Durbin.