Illinois Governor Signs Fracking Legislation

Claiming that the legislation will give the state the strongest environmental standards for hydraulic fracturing operations, or "fracking" in the United States, on June 17, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law a bill regulating the practice. The Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act introduces the first comprehensive controls on fracking in the state. Among other things, it requires oil and gas drillers to disclose which chemicals they are using both before and after fracking operations and requires water sampling of pre- and post-fracking groundwater with operators liable for any ensuing water pollution. The New Albany shale formation in southern Illinois, believed to contain billions of cubic feet of natural gas, is the focal point of the now settled fracking debate in Illinois.