Although horizontal hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is not yet allowed in Illinois as a means of obtaining natural gas and oil from thousands of feet underground, a permit process could be approved as early as today and as late as Nov. 15.  In the meantime, stay abreast of the issue and the concerns surrounding it because of the potential effects they can have on you and your customers.

• Today the Illinois legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) will meet in Chicago to discuss fracking rules developed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Since January, the IDNR has considered more than 30,000 public comments on the subject.
• Some members of the public favor a ban – and still others limits – on fracking because of environmental concerns (ex. groundwater pollution) about the process, the chemicals used and the waste byproducts.
• Others want fracking companies to publicly disclose where they will drill.
• Representatives of the Illinois Oil and Gas Association don’t like the proposed rules and speculate that unless those rules change, no companies will apply for drilling permits.  If companies do not request permits, then communities hoping for an economic boost will not see the job opportunities that fracking could provide.