Dave Dahl, Illinois Capitol Bureau April 27, 2012
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. (IRN) – Once the practice of “fracking” comes into heavy use in Illinois, there could be regulations in place. Hydraulic fracturing uses chemicals to flush natural gas out of the ground. No fracking wells are up in Illinois yet, though some companies have been purchasing or leasing land in anticipation.
The bill’s sponsor, State Sen. Mike Frerichs (D-Champaign), says owners and operators would be required to “perform a suitable mechanical casing integrity test, record pressure during the well stimulation and operation, provide DNR with specific information concerning volumes of water used, chemical disclosures and the handling of well stimulation fluid recovered during operation.”
“Illinois has been a consumer state as it relates to most forms of energy,” says Jim Roth, a former Oklahoma oil and gas commissioner visiting Springfield this week. “If you can produce (natural gas) right here in America, boy, wouldn’t it be nice to offset some of those imported oil.”
S.B. 3280 has passed the Senate, 54-0. Copyright IRN