Governor Quinn: Extend the First Notice Period for the IDNR rules for fracking, and immediately c...

Dear Gov. Quinn,
We, concerned residents of Illinois, have determined that the draft rules for fracking, recently published by the IL Dept. of Natural Resources (IDNR), are insufficient to protect the public health and the environment from the many dangers of fracking. There are at least a “Dirty Dozen” significant problems with fracking that must be addressed by a state-sponsored Council - consisting of members of several state agencies, front line community members and independent scientific advisers. We ask that you step in and extend the First Notice Period for these draft rules and convene this state-sponsored Council immediately to oversee the rewriting of these rules.

We ask that this state-sponsored Council consist of representatives from IEMA, ILGS, IDPH, IEPA, the IL Water Survey, the IL Dept. of Agriculture, the IL Dept of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the IL Department of Labor, the Pollution Control Board, the State Fire Marshal, the IL Dept of Transportation, the IL State Police, front line community groups who will be directly impacted by fracking, and independent scientific advisers. We have the time and the duty to make these rules the most protective of the public health and the environment as possible, we ask that you intervene to get this accomplished.

Many of the residents of Illinois have been following the documented problems with fracking in other states and we are very concerned that the same mistakes will be made here. We refuse to take lightly the many dangerous impacts of fracking that are poorly addressed in the draft rules, including but not limited to this "Dirty Dozen":
1) toxic radioactive waste,
2) induced seismicity,
3) chemical disclosure rules that protect the industry rather than the public health,
4) insufficient fines, penalties and permit revocations,
5) inadequate chemical and water testing procedures,
6) dangerous allowance of open pits for waste water storage,
7) an unfair public hearing process with permits that are allowed to be modified to the benefit of the industry over the rights of local residents to be fully informed,
8) rules that override local control by the counties,
9) insufficient handling of non-water fracking operations,
10) ill-advised allowance of fracking on flood plains,
11) public health dangers from fracking related air pollutants including volatile organic compounds,
12) exemptions for fracking operations that have already begun.

Please use your power as the Executive Officer of the State to extend the First Notice Period for the rules for fracking and to convene a state-sponsored Council to oversee the rewriting of these rules. We, the undersigned, will not support a Governor who does not make the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare, and the water and environment of Illinois a first priority.

Petition generated by Frack Free Illinois, ww.facebook.com/FrackFreeIllinois

Please send daily comments to the IDNR about the rules by going to www.ilagainstfracking.org until Jan 3rd.