Leaders of Illinois People’s Action (IPA) paid a visit to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) on Wednesday, demanding that input from citizens and scientists be included when the state agency draws up rules governing fracking operations in the state. The IDNR had not returned IPA’s phone calls for weeks, putting in doubt the agency’s ability to operate its own offices, let alone regulate fracking.
When IPA leaders spoke with staff at the IDNR, they were told that Director Miller was not in the office and that nobody was in charge of operations. The group was able to secure a visit with the IDNR Director of Communications, Chris McCloud, and and he agreed to communicate IPA’s demands of citizen inclusion to the director. IPA demanded that the IDNR respond within 10 days to schedule a meeting to discuss a transparent rule-making process.
IPA wants that the rule-making process on how fracking will be regulated to include citizen input and not be dominated by corporate interests. The key points of the demands are:
- Citizen participation in the rulemaking process, including regional community hearings.
- Disclosure and transparency of proposed fracking practices.
- Regulatory changes, focusing on radioactivity, methane, water, local control and corporate liability.
- Inspection and enforcement regimes.
To read the full list of IPA’s regulatory demands, follow the link here for the pdf.
IPA leaders were compelled to force a meeting with the IDNR, after the state agency failed to return phone calls for weeks.
Just BloNo 
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