I thought everyone would be interested in the following update from the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association concerning fracking legislation in the Illinois General Assembly:
“Following another marathon negotiating session that resulted in little movement between industry and the environmental community, several key state lawmakers met privately and intend to develop their own proposal that will be unveiled in the coming weeks. This bipartisan group will likely use the industry draft proposal that was developed collaboratively by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association along with our partners in the Illinois Petroleum Council, Illinois Oil & Gas Association, Chamber of Commerce, and America’s Natural Gas Alliance over the past several months and refined during negotiations as a base for the final bill. With time winding down on the legislative session, the House of Representatives moved SB 3280 from the Rules Committee to the floor for possible use. After dozens of meetings and hours of negotiations with industry, environmentalists, Governor’s Administration and Attorney General, the IMA expects key lawmakers to author final tweaks to the bill before moving forward.
“The IMA is hopeful that a final bill will be considered before lawmakers adjourn on January 8. It will include chemical disclosure while protecting trade secrets, water management, wellhead protection, and include some setback provisions. Hydraulic fracturing is critical to Illinois’ economic future, especially in southern Illinois where the New Albany Shale is located. Energy production on private land has been one of the most promising economic success stories in recent years and provides great hope for Illinois if sensible regulations can be enacted into law. One economic study alone indicates that the consumer surplus alone in 2010 from shale gas production was worth more than $100 billion. It has the potential to create thousands of jobs in manufacturing, mining and transportation in Illinois. The IMA is a leading partner in the fight to enact commonsense regulations that incent the industry to develop in Illinois while protecting the environment. We appreciate the efforts of many lawmakers including Sen. Mike Frerichs, Sen. John Jones, Rep. John Bradley, Rep. Davis Reis and others who are working hard to pass strong legislation.”
Stay tuned to the Illinois Environmental Law Blog for more news and developments. To subscribe to this blog and and sign up for my free newsletter, go to http://illinoisenvironmentallaw.com/subscribe/. To set up a free initial consultation to discuss your legal matter, please contact Chicago environmental attorney Dave Scriven-Young at (312) 239-9722 or dscriven-young@pecklaw.com.
