Four years ago, the Illinois legislature passed a law to regulate high volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, after months of contentious negotiations between oil industry interests, environmental watchdogs and community groups.
Leading up to the law’s passage, companies had secured hundreds of leases to potentially frack in Southern Illinois.
But then oil prices dropped, and the eagerness to tap the state’s New Albany Shale faded.
This summer, the filing for the first permit under the new rules has reignited debate over fracking in Illinois and concerns over the law’s ability to protect citizens and the environment. Environmental and citizen groups say that this permit will be a test case as to how rigorously the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will seek to enforce the law.
In the spring, the Kansas-based, family-owned company Woolsey Energy filed for a permit to frack in White County in southeastern Illinois. Advocates criticized that permit as incomplete and inconsistent, and the department sent Woolsey back to the drawing board.
Woolsey submitted a revised permit application this summer, with the public comment period closing this month. Environmental advocates say the revised permit is still sorely lacking required information, and they are urging the IDNR to reject it.
“The company still did not provide the required information, putting public health and safety, groundwater, topsoil and other resources at potential risk,” said Karen Hobbs, senior policy analyst for the water program of the Natural Resources Defense Council‘s Midwest office. “How IDNR handles this application will set the benchmark for the program’s future and ultimately determine if it is successful.”
Opening the Door?
The Illinois law was hailed as among the nation’s strictest when it passed, though some local groups opposed it and instead demanded a ban on fracking.
“We don’t want to see the door opened to fracking in the state,” said Illinois People’s…