Illinois’ First Fracking Permit Is a “Shoddy” Mess

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources today approved its first permit under the state’s high volume fracking law. Experts at the NRDC had criticized the controversial permit application submitted by Woolsey Energy as lacking in key pieces of information.

Following are quotes from Henry Henderson, Midwest Director for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):

“It is utterly confounding that the state would take this action since they are missing a lot of the basic information they would need to make a reasoned decision.

“Illinois fracking laws contain strong protections for people in the state, but only if the Department of Natural Resources cares to enforce them. This was a shoddy permit—its approval points to a lack of focus on public health and safety from the Rauner Administration. And, being the first permit they have handled, it proposes to set a low, highly questionable, bar for those protections in Illinois moving forward. Demanding so little transparency in the permitting process is a gift to potential polluters."

More info on the permit application’s deficiencies can be found at http://midwestenergynews.com/2017/08/17/fracking-debate-ramps-up-again-in-illinois-with-first-permit-application-under-new-rules/

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 2 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Chicago; Bozeman, Montana; and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.​

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