by William C. Rau Professor Emeritus of Industrial Sociology, Illinois State University The controversy about fracking starts with its definition. The industry defines fracking as the process of injecting a fluid or gas under pressure to fracture hydrocarbon saturated rock so that oil, natural gas liquids, or methane can be extracted. Many narrow the definition … Continue reading →

Mahomet Aquifer Summit – A much needed wake up call The future of Central Illinois’ most important, and for many communities in Central Illinois the only source of drinking water, is in jeopardy! The Mahomet Aquifer provides drinking water for nearly 1,000,000 people in Central Illinois, in over 80 municipalities, including the Town of Normal. … Continue reading →

The village of Utica continues public hearings this evening to consider Aramoni LLC’s petition for a frac sand mine. In the videos below, Wisconsin residents speak of their experiences of frac sand mining in their communities.

The Illinois protest movement against fracking, after last year’s defeat to the gas industry with the passage of the Illinois Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act, continues in a number of localities across the state. Here are some highlights gleaned from word-of-mouth, newspaper reports and online articles. If you have more developments, please include them in the … Continue reading →

Utica residents will speak out at a public hearing Wednesday evening, where the Utica Planning Commission and Village Board will consider a petition for a proposed quarry that will be used to mine sand for hydraulic fracturing in Illinois. Aramoni LLC wants Utica’s permission to quarry on 500 acres near the Starved Rock tourist village. … Continue reading →

Public sector workers gathered at State Senator Bill Brady’s office Monday afternoon to show their displeasure at a bill that would gut their pensions and raise the retirement age for employees under 45. Risking the support of thousands of active and retired state employees, Senator Brady announced in the press that he would vote for … Continue reading →

Public sector pensions are under attack, and typical of Illinois politicians, they have used the cover of Thanksgiving to attempt to ram through a pension-slashing deal. Here in Bloomington, there are two actions you can take to defend state worker pensions. First, call the hotline number often (888-412-6570), telling your legislator not to support any … Continue reading →

Illinois People’s Action (IPA) is pushing ahead in efforts to oppose fracking in Illinois. Last Spring, the Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Bill (2013) gave the green light to fracking operations in Illinois through its provision of a weak regulatory framework, and just recently this month, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) proposed even weaker rules … Continue reading →

Supported by key public sector unions, a petition campaign called ‘A Better Illinois’ seeks to change the Illinois income tax system so that it is a graduated progressive tax (similar to our federal income taxes). Unions are supporting this change because the current flat tax of 5% for all Illinois residents is underfunding our schools, … Continue reading →

Fast food workers in Bloomington-Normal and Peoria participated in a national day of walk-out strikes on August 29th, bringing attention to the low wages and substandard benefits in the industry. In Bloomington, over 70 people rallied in front of the Hardee’s at 1523 E. College Drive, with even larger rallies occurring in Peoria earlier in … Continue reading →

Sign the petition to support farmers and landowners refusing to allow Enbridge to build a tar sands pipeline through central Illinois: We, the residents of Illinois, oppose the construction of Enbridge pipelines through our state, including the Southern Access Extension. We stand with the landowners and farmers of central Illinois, from Patoka to Flanagan, who … Continue reading →

In a talk co-sponsored by Common Action Free School and Vision 2020, local environmentalist Anne McGowan led a discussion Sunday on opposing the construction plans for multiple oil pipelines in central Illinois. For a detailed report on the background of the issue, written by the presenter Anne McGowan, see Enbridge Pushes for a Tar Sands … Continue reading →

SPRINGFIELD – About 100 people gathered Saturday afternoon in front of the Illinois state capitol building to protest Monsanto. Protesters call for legislation, such as Illinois SB 1666, that would require labeling of genetically engineered food (GE food) and give people the right to know what food on supermarket shelves is GE, which Monsanto opposes. … Continue reading →

As Illinois legislators and political insiders threaten to green-light fracking for gas and oil in Illinois, a grassroots anti-fracking movement continued to gather momentum in central and southern Illinois. The environmental coalition – led in downstate Illinois by Illinois People’s Action (IPA) and Southern Illinoisans Against Fracturing Our Environment (SAFE) – got a shot in … Continue reading →

Bill Rau, local environmentalist and Illinois People’s Action activist, sent the following letter on April 17th to Illinois state legislators, explaining the unsafe fracking practices codified in House Bill 2615 (HB2615). With his permission, I’ve printed the letter in its entirety in this post, with embedded videos and photos. Dear Representatives: On March 29th, I … Continue reading →

by Anne McGowan We in McLean County have our own tar-sands pipeline, similar to the contested Keystone XL. The Enbridge Southern Access Extension Pipeline Project (Flanagan-to-Patoka) has been in the planning stages for years, scheduled to be built in 2009, but was delayed by the slumping economy and a class-action lawsuit brought by a group … Continue reading →

Over 60 people protested Monday in Springfield against a legislative bill, HB 2615, that if passed will bring hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) to Illinois. Illinois People’s Action organized the grassroots rally and lobby action, joined by Southern Illinoisans Against Fracturing our Environment (SAFE) and Food and Water Watch. [Read the opinion statement by Food and Water … Continue reading →