In March, state energy experts gathered in Lawrence to put together a fast-track proposal to lure a $1 billion, state-of-the-art power plant to Kansas.

They thought their pitch had to be submitted by Oct. 1.

But more than nine months later, plans have stalled because the federal government has yet to issue its criteria for proposals.

“It’s really been pretty quiet on it for the last six months,” said Lee Allison, science and energy policy adviser to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. “Everything’s been dormant.”

A state committee of government, energy and economic development officials is keeping tabs on the FutureGen project, which would create the world’s first coal-burning power plant with near-zero emissions.

The U.S. Department of Energy has earmarked $800 million for the project, and the Legislature last year approved a bill that would allow the state to issue $200 million in bonds to cover the remainder of the plant’s cost. Allison said approval of the bond authority gives Kansas an advantage over at least some of the dozen or so other states vying for the plant.

A national industrial consortium was expected to issue criteria for FutureGen proposals this summer, Allison said, but the group still hasn’t completed the criteria.

That report will tell states details such as how many sites they can propose for the plant.

“We don’t want to spend a lot of time or effort or funds on this until we hear from this group what they want,” Allison said.

The plant will involve gasifying coal to separate the pure carbon from other impurities, then burning the pure carbon to create electricity. The byproducts, including hydrogen and carbon dioxide, would be trapped instead of being released into the atmosphere.

Kansas officials have said the state would be a good candidate for FutureGen because it has rail lines to bring in coal from other states and a carbon dioxide byproduct could be pumped into Kansas coal fields.

“The downside is we don’t have any companies from Kansas that are members of the industrial consortium that will design and operate the facility, and will decide where it’s located,” Allison said.

He said the Kansas group will be ready to move forward quickly — as soon as the criteria are announced.

“This has given us a little more time to think about what our strengths are,” Allison said. “Once they announce what the rules are, we’ll know how to play the game.”