The spring session of the General Assembly ended May 31st. Here's a final recap of the measures we've followed this session.
Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking):
Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking):
Obviously this is a big topic in the news at the moment, but
here’s the final status of all the introduced legislation.
This particular version of the fracking regulations never
made it back out of the Rules Committee, but….
The Senate version of the fracking
regulations was passed in both Houses on 31 May 2013 and was signed into law by
Governor Quinn on 17 June 2013. Essentially, this means that once Illinois
Department of Natural Resources gets the rules in place, fracking is coming to
Illinois.
There are no changes to this measure—it’s still hanging out
in committee.
Regardless of the passage of SB1715,
there are a lot of angry people who are deeply opposed to any hydraulic
fracturing in Illinois at all. They’re working to resurrect HB 3086 to ban
fracking while its potential harms can be studied.
Passed Both Houses and Sent to Governor:
This measure was passed in both Houses on 16 May 2013
Passed both Houses as of 16 May 2013.
This measure had passed both Houses on 31 May, and it was
sent to the Governor on 19 June 2013. If Governor Quinn signs this into law,
the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will begin its two-year study of
the possibility of locating wind turbines in Lake Michigan.
As we stated in May, this measure has passed both Houses and
is now on Governor Quinn’s desk. For more information about what stormwater
management and associated fees will mean, you can check out our blog
post on the topic.
No Changes:
This measure is still
sitting in the Rules Committee as of 22 March 2013
This measure was referred to the Assignments Committee of 30 April
2013
