A report issued by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce says fracking in Illinois could have a $9 billion economic impact.
The study, authored by Illinois State University Economics professor David Loomis, says more than 45,000 jobs could be created if Illinois stepped-up hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling of New Albany shale, which is present primarily in southern Illinois: "So we assume there is two years of exploration, then they would hopefully find formations of shale gas there and then move into production mode for the next three years." Loomis' study breaks the natural gas extraction process into three levels: low, medium and high. He says even the lowest amount of production would yield more than a thousand jobs and anywhere from $207 million to just over a $1 billion.
Environmental groups criticize the practice, saying not enough is known about its impact on water supplies and other ecological factors. Annette McMichael, of Southern Illinoisans against Fracturing Our Environment or SAFE, says the numbers are trumped up. She points to a recent story from Ohio where Ohio Gov. John Kasich has become bearish on fracking, claiming many of the promised jobs are held by non-Ohioans. McMichael says southern Illinois is what the oil and gas industry calls a “sacrifice community.” She says it has high unemployment, a little lower education level, is mostly rural, and industry reps can come in and convince land owners without having an attorney because they are cash strapped.
In the upcoming Legislative session state Lawmakers could resurrect the issue of regulating" fracking." A bill designed to regulate natural gas extraction stalled in the waning days of the General Assembly last spring and a proposed moratorium didn't materialize. Tom Wolf is the state chamber's executive director for energy. He cautions against believing what anti-fracking groups say, adding the process would be strictly regulated, and nobody would frack without a permit. Currently, the Department of Natural Resources says there are no specific state guidelines for horizontal high volume or low volume hydraulic fracking for natural gas extraction. Low volume hydraulic fracturing has been used for decades in the oil industry.
So far, the IDNR says only one permit has been issued for hydraulic fracturing in the entire state. That permit is for a location in Wayne County in southern Illinois
