[Peace] Fwd: Action Needed: Illinois Fracking Protections Undermined By Draft Regulations

Sun Nov 24 20:18:50 UTC 2013

Please read the following call to action.  The Illinois Department of
Natural Resources (IDNR) is holding public hearings and accepting public
comment <http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=Bev-HWh5-rAUyyoBVMsGBQ> on
proposed rules concerning  fracking now through Jan. 3rd. There's no public
hearing organized in Champaign yet. I'm asking groups and individuals who
oppose fracking/want strong safeguards to contact me with the goal to
demand a public hearing in Champaign-Urbana.

Please also forward this message to friends and family who may not be on
the Peace List. Thanks.

Niloofar Shambayati

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jennifer Cassel, ELPC <elpcinfo at elpc.org>
Date: Thu, Nov 21, 2013 at 9:10 AM
Subject: Action Needed: Illinois Fracking Protections Undermined By Draft
Regulations
To: niloofar.peace at gmail.com

     [image: Action Alerts capitalized]
[image: Donate Button
3]<http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=u_3K7T_NQ21PihNZfZX2nQ>
[image: Share Icon]
<http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=y-U_SZKRCyWh3bePq6ZC2w>  [image:
Facebook] <http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=p7rY57a82b4cv0JjGsej4Q>   [image:
Twitter] <http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=NumYrWX0gRRgiOlRKrUz2A>

Dear Niloofar,

Fracking – a method for extracting natural gas and oil – can potentially
threaten drinking water and public health. Illinois enacted legislation
that mandates the strongest fracking standards in the nation. But now the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources has drafted regulations that are
inconsistent with the law and undermine its basic protections. *We need
your help to improve the draft regulations, enforce the protections  and
hold the fracking industry
accountable*<http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=eB95qBLAkwb5rQeRSdgInQ>
*.*

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is holding public
hearings (see details below) and accepting public
comment<http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=Bev-HWh5-rAUyyoBVMsGBQ>on the
proposed rules now through Jan. 3rd. The department should hear from
the public that its draft regulations are too weak and need to be
strengthened. Here are some reasons why:

   - *Emergency Response & Disclosure –* The law requires that
   trade-secret-protected information about chemicals be disclosed to health
   workers when necessary to treat a patient. *IDNR’s draft regulations
   give discretion over when to share this information and direct health
   workers to contact either “IDNR during normal business hours” or “trade
   secret holders.” This is unacceptable given that emergencies can happen at
   any time of the day, and emergency personnel can’t be expected to figure
   out which private fracking entity to contact if the Department is not
   available.*

   - *Water Pollution – *The law requires all wastewater to be stored in
   closed tanks, allowing the use of open pits only for one week if
   unexpectedly huge volumes of wastewater come up the well. *IDNR’s draft
   regulations allow wastewater to sit in open pits far longer than a week and
   also do not require accurate calculations of tank size.*

   - *Excludes Wells – *The law applies to all fracking wells, regardless
   of when they began operating or what type of process they use. *IDNR’s
   draft regulations would exempt existing wells and potentially exclude types
   of fracking that use gas.*

   - *Liability *– The law presumes that any water pollution found within
   1,500 feet of a fracking operation was caused by that fracking, unless the
   fracking company can prove otherwise. In other words, the burden of proof
   lies with the frackers, not with the communities impacted by the
   pollution.  *IDNR’s draft regulations limit industry’s burden of proof
   to a much smaller set of “indicator” chemicals, rather than the list of
   over 100 chemicals included in the law.*

   - *Public Notice *– The law requires that any significant modifications
   to a permit undergo public review processes – notice, comment and public
   hearings. *IDNR’s draft regulations significantly narrow the types of
   modifications that require public processes, opening the door for fracking
   permit holders to avoid public scrutiny.*

IDNR’s proposed regulations undermine significant protections for public
health and water quality as well as provisions for public participation and
transparency with fracking. *We need to tell IDNR **to follow the letter of
the law to protect the people of
Illinois*<http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=yXrxj4WcpO2Rz0qSbu1yqA>
.

Attend a public meeting. Submit a public
comment<http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=Pm497hPKJQjBJp2inI0Jgg>.
Tweet at your friends. Make sure your voice is heard on this important
issue.

Best Wishes,

[image: Jennifer Cassel]

Jennifer L. Cassel
ELPC Staff Attorney

*Currently Scheduled Public Meetings*

*Tuesday, Nov. 26 – Chicago*
6:30-8:30 p.m. (doors open 5:30 p.m.)
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
Student Center East, Room 302
726 S. Halsted Street, Chicago, IL

*Tuesday, Dec. 3 – Ina*6:30-8:30 p.m. (doors open 5:30 p.m.)
Rend Lake College Theater
468 North Ken Gray Parkway, Ina, IL

*Thursday, Dec. 5 – Effingham*
6:30-8:30 p.m. (doors open 5:30 p.m.)
Holiday Inn Effingham, Hotel Ballroom
1301 Avenue of MidAmerica, Effingham, IL

*Tuesday, Dec. 17 – Decatur*
6:30-8:30 p.m. (doors open 5:30 p.m.)
Decatur Civic Center, Auditorium
#1 Gary K. Anderson Plaza, Decatur, IL

*Thursday, Dec. 19 – Carbondale*
6:30-8:30 p.m. (doors open 5:30 p.m.)
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Student Center, Ballroom B
1255 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, IL

Visit www.elpc21.org<http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=Fw58a-KQmXuWs2KITH3TJg>to
find out more about
ELPC's 21st Anniversary celebration in 2014!

Unsubscribe<http://elpc.convio.net/site/CO?i=MuchQ2YBJgcgYANq79lsuB6eM5JdvugY&cid=1365&i=cgClbfRYfViy-Y63QKiYMSqlpb1av5hc&cid=1043>
<http://elpc.convio.net/site/R?i=JeobkYF_r3HuE6-cmx0aMw>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/peace/attachments/20131124/a0650e5f/attachment.html>