Three hydro-fracking derricks sitting on a plain.
March 12, 2022 – With the continued rise in energy prices, some see an open door for fracking to begin inIllinois, but any such moves could be a year out because of strict regulations.
Mark Denzler, CEO and president of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, said the circumstances now appear to be right for new energy exploration in the country, but there are complications.
“We have the shale play [in Illinois],” Denzler said. “The shale is not going anywhere. Ithink someday it will be tapped. It will be used as a resource. But again, because of thedifficult regulatory environment in Illinois, it’s not going to be at the top of anybody’s list.”
Nearly a decade ago, Denzler was part of a coalition that successfully pushed for a lawallowing and regulating fracking in the state. But by the time rules were written,economic conditions had changed and no full operations ever began.
“We passed the hydraulic fracking bill in Illinois during the [Pat Quinn] administration,and then it took the governor over 500 days to promulgate rules,” Denzler said.
Denzler said any companies looking to expand operations here likely would be at least 12months away from starting.
“There’s a lengthy permit process, an open and transparent process, by which groupscould weigh in in favor or against it,” Denzler said. “And they would have to get a permitfrom the Department of Natural Resources.”
It’s possible the Illinois Department of Natural Resources could revisit the rules andregulations to encourage development, but Denzler isn’t optimistic about any changes.
“Given the political climate, I would imagine it would be very difficult for them to do it,”Denzler said. “However, there’s going to be more pain at the pump. It makes sense for theUnited States and for Illinois to be part of this energy revolution with hydraulic frackingthat provides economic and geopolitical security.”
A previous study by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce found fracking could create up to47,000 jobs in the state and could have a $9.5 billion economic impact on the state.
