Environmental activists are ramping up advocacy efforts against hydraulic
fracturing, commonly called “fracking”. Meanwhile, the Illinois House Executive
Committee passed a regulatory compromise bill Tuesday and the full chamber is expected to take up the legislation any day now.
The oil and gas drilling technology, according to the bill’s opponents, is unsafe and damages the environment.
But as the bill makes its way through the Illinois General Assembly,
drilling companies have already leased land in Southern
Illinois — reportedly about half a million acres around the New
Albany Shale rock formation, according to the Star-Telegram.
“Fracking is not safe, it
destroys communities; it endangers our water supply; it is not safe for
the workers; and it is not an enriched fuel,” said Melody Lamar, a
member of Illinois People’s Action. “I’m so sickened by what I’ve seen
from our legislators.”
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Environmentalists and public health advocates urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to finalize its draft rule that would reduce the amount of sulfur in gasoline at a public hearing in Chicago today.
Users of Chicago’s public transportation system will have an
additional option for their commute come June, as the city prepares to
debut a massive bicycle-rental sharing program.
Northern Mexico is in the grips of one of the worst droughts in its
history. Acres upon acres of crops have been wiped out so far, and more
than two million people are without reliable water.