Two southern Illinois lawmakers have introduced a bill to regulate high–volume Hydraulic oil and gas drilling in Illinois.
Marion Democratic state Rep. John Bradley and Olney Republican Rep. David Reis filed the bill Thursday. Supporters of hydraulic fracturing or ``fracking,'' believe the bill has a good shot because it was negotiated by officials from industry and agriculture, environmentalists, lawmakers and Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
Fracking uses high–pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel and chemicals to crack rock formations and release oil and gas. The industry is eyeing southern Illinois' New Albany shale deposits. Critics say the state needs more time to study safety issues and evaluate best practices. The regulatory bill filing comes two weeks after a Senate bill called for a 2–year moratorium on the practice.
The legislation is HB2615. The bill would require all high volume horizontal fracking wells to be permitted by the State Department of Natural Resources. It also mandates minimum setbacks for well locations. For example, a high volume fracking well would not be allowed within 500–feet of a home, church, school, hospital or nursing home or within 750 feet of a nature preserve and 15–hundred feet from a surface water or groundwater intake for a public water supply.
The bill would also make it illegal for a hydraulic fracturing operation to discharge the fluid used to frack the well into any fresh water supply. The bill also provides safe guards preventing drilling companies from turning a standard vertical well into a horizontal high volume fracturing well.
Drilling companies would be required to disclose the chemicals and substances to be used in the hydraulic fracturing fluid. They would also be required to carry at least five–million dollars in liability insurance.
The bill requires the State Department of Natural Resources to maintain a website that provides public access to the majority of the information contained in each hydraulic fracturing permit application. It also establishes criminal penalties for violating the act as well as an appeals process.
The Growing Resources and Opportunity for the Workforce in Illinois - or GROW-IL - says the bill is a step in the right direction in enacting common sense hydraulic fracturing legislation. GROW member and Illinois Manufacturers Association Vice President Mark Denzler says fracking will create jobs and maximizes domestic energy resources. He says fracking could be very beneficial to southern Illinois.
The legislation is on line at ILGA.gov
