Last night I attended the first public hearing of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on its proposed fracking regulations. After listening to comments from the audience for nearly two hours, I was convinced that these proposed regulations were terribly inadequate for the task of protecting Illinois residents from the potential harms of fracking.
Representatives of environmental organizations, students and concerned citizens pointed out numerous weaknesses in the regulations and repeatedly asked the hearing officials to hold more hearings and give citizens throughout the state more opportunities to comment. This is essential if these regulations are to become anything more than just a fig leaf for energy companies’ riding roughshod over the well-being of residents of southern Illinois.
The IDNR was candid enough to admit that it did not rely on scientific studies of fracking from other states where significant fracking has already taken place. This was an stupefying admission. What basis did the IDNR use to draw up these regulations? The proposals of the energy companies’ representatives? When the fracking bill was passed last spring, it was touted as the most stringent regulatory legislation on this subject in the nation. The comments of environmental organizations’ spokespeople last night revealed that the regulations have seriously weakened the original legislation.
Governor Quinn should be embarrassed that this travesty is taking place on his watch. The residents of Illinois deserve much better.
— Elliot Zashin, Evanston
