Illinois Says Yes to Fracking
Public will remain in dark about just-passed rules regarding the extraction process until Nov. 15
Fracking got the green light in the Land of Lincoln on Thursday.
The final OK came when rules regulating the practice in the state were quietly approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Energy companies can start applying for permits this month, AP reports.
According to reporting by the Chicago Tribune, the rules are still secret and won't be made public until mid-November.
Braze Smith, a fracking opponent and organic farmer who attended the committee meeting, told the Tribune: "We will resist this with our bodies, our hearts and our minds. We will block this, we will chain ourselves to trucks."
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Fracking got the green light in the Land of Lincoln on Thursday.
The final OK came when rules regulating the practice in the state were quietly approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Energy companies can start applying for permits this month, AP reports.
According to reporting by the Chicago Tribune, the rules are still secret and won't be made public until mid-November.
Braze Smith, a fracking opponent and organic farmer who attended the committee meeting, told the Tribune: "We will resist this with our bodies, our hearts and our minds. We will block this, we will chain ourselves to trucks."
Fracking got the green light in the Land of Lincoln on Thursday.
The final OK came when rules regulating the practice in the state were quietly approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Energy companies can start applying for permits this month, AP reports.
According to reporting by the Chicago Tribune, the rules are still secret and won't be made public until mid-November.
Braze Smith, a fracking opponent and organic farmer who attended the committee meeting, told the Tribune: "We will resist this with our bodies, our hearts and our minds. We will block this, we will chain ourselves to trucks."

