Bill aims to curb abandoned oil and gas wells in Illinois through stiffer fines
The bill, which stiffens fines, comes in response to a Tribune investigation into the thousands of abandoned oil wells in Illinois.
All Stories
Read the Tribune’s investigation into Illinois’ abandoned oil wells
Read the Chicago Tribune's investigation into how Illinois regulators have failed to stop the proliferation of abandoned oil and gas wells in the state.
In Illinois, getting oil and gas operators to pay for abandoned wells can take decades
Some companies that are still profiting from oil and gas production elsewhere have potentially shifted the cost of plugging these wells to the state and taxpayers.
A mysterious company abandoned 603 oil wells, costing Illinois millions. Here’s how they did it.
A Tribune investigation reveals how Fireball evaded its legal responsibility, exposing communities to contaminants and saddling the state with millions in clean-up costs.
Route 66 road trip: One family preserves a piece of Black history in Luther, Oklahoma
Route 66 has been called America’s Main Street, a moniker that fuels nostalgics who like to talk about simpler times and good days gone by. Of course, that wasn’t always...
Route 66 road trip: One last strawberry harvest in Rancho Cucamonga, California
California’s fertile farm fields once enticed thousands of Dust Bowl refugees fleeing along Route 66. It lost more than 330,000 acres of agricultural land between 2017 and 2022.
Route 66: Photos from the ‘Main Street of America’
Route 66 was created to connect us, a 2,448-mile gateway to vast lands that previously existed only in the collective imagination. Each mile promised freedom and escape, opportunity and adventure.
Route 66 road trip: A ghost town finds its saviors — and they sell weed — in Glenrio, New Mexico
Glenrio, New Mexico, is a ghost town. The owners of a local weed dispensary hope their business can change that.
Meet the people keeping iconic Route 66 motels alive: ‘Highly endangered properties’
Motel owners form the backbone of Route 66. Beyond hosts, the innkeepers are plumbers and landscapers, housekeepers and historians, preservationists and tour guides.
‘This election is not over’: Democratic race for Illinois comptroller still undecided as Croke holds slim lead
The Democratic primary for Illinois comptroller remained too close to call as state Rep. Margaret Croke maintained a slim lead over state Sen. Karina Villa.