CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed
Senate Bill 1715 – the Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act - into law. The new
law enacts the nation’s strongest environmental protections for hydraulic
fracturing and has the potential to create thousands of jobs in Southern
Illinois. Passage of this legislation was one of Governor Quinn’s top
priorities this year, and the Quinn Administration helped negotiate and draft
the legislation.
“This new law will unlock the potential
for thousands of jobs in Southern Illinois and ensure that our environment is
protected,” Governor Quinn said. “As I said in my budget address, hydraulic
fracturing is coming to Illinois with the strongest environmental regulations
in the nation. It’s about jobs and it’s about ensuring that our natural
resources are protected for future generations. I applaud the many
environmental advocates and representatives from government, labor and industry
who worked with us to make Illinois a national model for transparency,
environmental safety and economic development.”
“This law is an example of what we can
achieve when legislators and leaders in both chambers work together in good
faith to get something done for the greater good of the people of Illinois,”
Quinn added.
Sponsored by State Sen. Michael Frerichs (D-Champaign) and State Rep. John
Bradley (D-Marion), Senate Bill 1715 enacts the most comprehensive set of
regulations on hydraulic fracturing in the nation, and includes strong
provisions to protect water quality, assure transparency and promote public
involvement.
“I’m proud to say these are the
strongest, most effective drilling safeguards enacted by any state in the
nation,” Sen. Frerichs said. “We know high-volume fracking is already underway
in Illinois, and this legislation is needed more than ever to protect the
environment while allowing for job creation and economic growth not just in
downstate communities but throughout Illinois.”
“This is a historic agreement between the
environmental coalition and industry,” Rep. Bradley said. “I appreciate all the
hard work of the many people who were involved in this process. It
provides for the strongest regulations in the history of the United States, but
allows the industry to develop in a responsible manner.”
Hydraulic fracturing is currently
permitted without the necessary regulations or protections. Under the new law,
Illinois will become the first state in the nation in which hydraulic
fracturing operators will be required to submit pre- and post-fracturing
chemical disclosures to the state. Knowing exactly what materials are being
used will allow the state to better protect consumers and the environment.
Additionally, Illinois will become the only state in the nation to require pre-
and post-fracturing water testing. Operators will be required to provide a
baseline water test prior to the act of hydraulic fracturing and then tests six
months, 18 months and 30 months after operations have concluded. Illinois will
also require the storage of fluid in above-ground closed tanks, rather than
traditional pits.
The law includes strong public
participation requirements, including a mandatory 30-day public comment period,
a public hearing opportunity and a 15-day follow-up public comment
period. The state will consider all submitted written comments and
testimony from public hearings when making its decision to approve or deny the
permit application.
These restrictions - among
many others - provide the most comprehensive and strongest environmental
protections and regulations on high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing in
the country, while providing industry with the certainty to begin investing
billions of dollars in the state.
"This is a monumental achievement
for economic development and jobs in Illinois. Hydraulic fracturing will
create good-paying jobs and reduce our reliance on foreign source of oil,"
said Mark Denzler, vice president and chief operating officer of the Illinois
Manufacturers' Association and a co-founder of the GROW-IL Coalition, a group
consisting of three dozen business organizations, labor unions, individual
companies and agricultural interests. "We applaud Governor Quinn and
members of the General Assembly for developing a strong regulatory framework
that will allow industry to flourish while protecting the environment."
The legislation was supported by numerous
environmental advocacy groups, including the Sierra Club Illinois,
Environmental Law and Policy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council and
Illinois Environmental Council.
"Today Governor Quinn is signing into law
the most comprehensive environmental regulatory bill in the country on
hydraulic fracturing,” Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois
Environmental Council said. “While our community still has concerns about the
environmental impacts of this new technology, it is essential for these tough
restrictions to become law to protect our communities. The environmental
community looks forward to working with the governor and agencies to make sure
that this bill is strongly enforced."
The new law is the product of extensive
negotiations between the Governor’s Office, industry groups, environmental
groups, labor unions, legislators, the Attorney General’s Office, and state
agencies including the Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), which will manage implementation of the
law.
“This new set of regulations gives us the
needed authority and resources to protect the environment and manage this
method of energy extraction,” IDNR Director Marc Miller said. “I applaud
Governor Quinn for his leadership and the good-faith effort by lawmakers,
industry and labor leaders, environmental groups and members of the governor’s
administration to ensure Illinois’ natural resources are protected.”
“This law represents an unprecedented
commitment to environmental protection that will serve as a model for the rest
of the country,” IEPA Director Lisa Bonnett said. “IEPA will continue to work
with IDNR to make sure that this previously unregulated process is managed
safely and responsibly.”
Senate Bill 1715 takes effect
immediately.
The governor also signed Senate Bill 2155
into law today. Also sponsored by Sen. Frerichs and Rep. Bradley, the law makes
several technical changes needed to implement the Hydraulic Fracturing
Regulatory Act. It takes effect immediately.
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