Environmentalists and public health advocates at today’s demonstration against fracking at the Thompson Center
say the Illinois Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act, which has earned
the support of Gov. Pat Quinn, doesn’t go far enough to protect the environment or ground
and drinking water. Progress Illinois was there to learn more about why they are calling for a two-year fracking moratorium.
People across Illinois are pushing back against legislation to bring hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, to the Prairie State. This afternoon, environmental advocates are holding a protest at the Thompson Center to call on lawmakers to pass a moratorium on fracking. Watch the full rally here.
Three bills in Congress received co-sponsorship from Illinois legislators this week ranging from a call to audit the Pentagon to an investigation of the environmental and health consequences of fracking. We take a closer look at the bills.
Voting on the controversial Illinois fracking bill has been delayed as a House committee failed to meet and vote on the measure today, as initially expected.
More than 100 protesters descended on the Illinois Statehouse in
Springfield yesterday to rally against a regulatory bill and call for a
moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in Illinois.
Opponents to hydraulic fracturing say it has a negative environmental
impact, including extreme water and air pollution. Demonstrators
yesterday spoke with legislators and passed petitions that urged
lawmakers to support a two-year moratorium on fracking in Illinois.
As the Illinois Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act was moved to committee yesterday, a coalition of 15 organizations sent a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn and the Illinois General Assembly, asking for a ban on hydraulic fracturing, instead of regulations on the oil and gas drilling technology.
On Monday afternoon, a group of protestors outside the James
R. Thompson Center called for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in southern
Illinois.
At the rally, Southern
Illinoisians Against Fracturing our Environment (SAFE) protested the practice
of hydraulic fracturing. Known as fracking for short, the oil and gas drilling
technique injects a mix of water, sand, and chemicals into the ground to create
cracks in deep rock layers. The cracks release natural gas. (Read PI’s previous
reporting on fracking here.)
Proponents of fracking say it will supply America with its
own source of natural gas, but SAFE contends the process contaminates drinking
water and pollutes farmland. The group doesn’t believe enough information has
been gathered on the effect fracking has on the environment, and its members
met with one of Gov.
Pat Quinn’s representatives before the rally.
The state’s recent legislative session brought about environmental
successes from Cook County’s landfill-expansion ban to dry cleaning
chemical restrictions, but environmental advocates in the General
Assembly and members of the Environmental Law and Policy Center say more work is still needed to protect Illinois.
State
Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) and State Reps. Elaine Nekritz (D-Des Plaines), Michael Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) and Michael Zalewski (D-Summit) met
Tuesday afternoon at the Environmental Law and Policy Center’s office,
located at 35 E. Wacker Dr., to recap what did — and didn’t happen — in
Springfield this past legislative session. Read more »
More than 100 protesters descended on the Illinois Statehouse in
Springfield yesterday to rally against a regulatory bill and call for a
moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in Illinois.
On Monday afternoon, a group of protestors outside the James
R. Thompson Center called for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in southern
Illinois. 
The state’s recent legislative session brought about environmental
successes from Cook County’s landfill-expansion ban to dry cleaning
chemical restrictions, but environmental advocates in the General
Assembly and members of the 