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<h1>Illinois’ Flawed Fracking Law Is Everyone’s Problem, Ecologist Says</h1>

<div><div><div><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="312" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/z7P4yxvTHAQ" width="555"></iframe></p>  <p>What happens in Illinois, doesn't stay in Illinois. That was the message last week of acclaimed scientist and author Sandra Steingraber, who joined the growing local<a href="http://www.dontfractureillinois.net"> uprising</a>&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/liability-bombshell-must_b_3346204.html">last ditch effort</a> to pass a moratorium on the controversial hydraulic gas drilling operations until the state could conduct a comprehensive scientific and health assessment.</p>  <p style="text-align: center; "><b><a href="/?p=12082">Fracking the Suburbs: An Explosive Combination?</a></b><br>As oil and gas get harder to find, the industry is drilling in suburbia&mdash;and the neighbors aren&rsquo;t pleased.</p>  <p>The Illinois House and Senate passed a regulatory bill last Friday, which had been brokered in a backroom deal by Illinois Democrats, gas industry and labor representatives, and a small cadre of environmental groups but&mdash;to the consternation of Steingraber and grassroot activists&mdash;without any independent scientists, health experts, or impacted downstate residents at the negotiating table.</p>  <p>Despite these concerns, the <i>Chicago Tribune</i>&rsquo;s lede was "Let the fracking begin.&rdquo; The <i>Washington Post</i>, similarly, ran with the prevailing narrative about the bill: "Illinois lawmakers approve nation's toughest fracking regulations."</p>  <p>Not so, says Steingraber, an Illinois native, who <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/who-speaks-for-illinois-o_b_3322287.html">has played a key role</a> in the anti-fracking movement in New York and across the country. Testifying at a last minute House committee hearing with <i>Gasland</i> director Josh Fox, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/live-at-historic-vote-in_b_3361142.html">leading protests</a> at the Illinois state capitol, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=nwXBgcd1Qg4">confronting bill negotiators</a> from the offices of Gov. Pat Quinn, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and environmental lobbyists, Steingraber didn't pull any punches. "We consider the fracking regulatory bill to be a subversion of both science and democracy,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;No public hearings or public comment periods ever took place. And yet it is the public that is being compelled to live with the risks sanctioned by this bill. It is an unjust law."</p>  <p>Filmmaker Ben Evans and I sat down with Steingraber on the eve of the vote and asked her to speak on a number of topics, including why Illinois' historic fracking regulations should matter to the rest of the nation, and why the state is becoming another <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/05/25/illinoiss_fracking_and_coal_rush_is_a_national_crisis_partner/">ground zero for the national climate movement</a>.</p>  <p>(<i>Part 1 of the video is above, while parts 2 through 5 are posted below</i>.)</p>  <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="312" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/S7uEzpUipl8" width="555"></iframe></p>  <p>&nbsp;</p>  <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="312" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QRckT_F7dVQ" width="555"></iframe></p>  <p>&nbsp;</p>  <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="312" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EM8pH84405A" width="555"></iframe></p>  <p>&nbsp;</p>  <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="312" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BBGhTG7RE8I" width="555"></iframe></p>  <hr style="width: 50%;" width="50%"><p><span style="height: 18px;"> </span>Ben Evans is a documentary filmmaker, actor, and owner of . His  award-winning eco-docu-comedy, "YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip," is  now available from First Run Features and at .</p>  <p><b>Interested?</b></p>  <p>&nbsp;</p>  <ul><li><span style="height: 18px;">When artist Lopi LaRoe used Smokey the Bear imagery to encourage anti-fracking activism, the Forest Service threatened her with a lawsuit.</span> </li>  </ul><p>&nbsp;</p>  <ul><li><br>The big money oil industry continues to say, "Don't worry, Drive on." But our planet and economies are saying something different.</li>  <li>When fracking&nbsp;hits close to home, Mark Ruffalo, Debra Winger, Yoko Ono, and other big names find common ground with small towns.</li>  </ul></div><!-- <img src="363117d9ab9244f58da96c9164c2350e"> --></div><!-- <p>Jeff Biggers and Ben Evans created this article and shot these videos for <a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org">YES! Magazine</a>, <span style="height: 16px;">a national, nonprofit media organization that fuses powerful ideas and practical actions. </span></p> --></div><!-- <p><span style="height: 18px;"><span style="height: 16px;"> </span>Winner of the David R. Brower Award for Environmental Reporting, Jeff Biggers is the author of <i>Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland</i>, among other books. His website is <a href="http://www.jeffbiggers.com">www.jeffbiggers.com</a>.</span></p>&#13;  --><!-- <a href="http://www.jeffbiggers.com">www.jeffbiggers.com</a>. --><!-- <a href="http://www.BEgreenCreative.com">BEgreenCreative</a>. His  award-winning eco-docu-comedy, "YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip," is  now available from First Run Features and at  --><!-- <a href="http://www.YERT.com">the film's website</a>. --><!-- <a href="resolveuid/934b152739e440bfadddf2fdaab3b92b">Would Smokey the Bear Get Arrested to Stop Fracking?<br></a> --><!-- <a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/why-fracking-cant-save-us">Why Fracking&#160;Can't Save Us</a> --><!-- <a href="http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/how-cooperatives-are-driving-the-new-economy/why-you-don-t-frack-with-john-lennon-s-farm">Why You don't Frack with John Lennon's Farm<br></a>When fracking&#160;hits close to home, Mark Ruffalo, Debra Winger, Yoko Ono, and other big names find common ground with small towns. -->

<p>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org">Yes! Magazine</a> at <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2013/06/05/illinois-flawed-fracking-law-is-everyone-s-problem-ecologist-steingraber-says">https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2013/06/05/illinois-flawed-fracking-law-is-everyone-s-problem-ecologist-steingraber-says</a>.</p><link href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2013/06/05/illinois-flawed-fracking-law-is-everyone-s-problem-ecologist-steingraber-says" rel="canonical"/><p>Yes! Magazine is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of ... . Learn more at <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org">Yes! Magazine</a></p><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://www.yesmagazine.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=12265&ga4=G-74QJNNY44Z" style="width:1px;height:1px;">

Illinois’ Flawed Fracking Law Is Everyone’s Problem, Ecologist Says

What happens in Illinois, doesn't stay in Illinois. That was the message last week of acclaimed scientist and author Sandra Steingraber, who joined the growing local uprising’s last ditch effort to pass a moratorium on the controversial hydraulic gas drilling operations until the state could conduct a comprehensive scientific and health assessment.  Fracking the Suburbs: An Explosive Combination?As oil and gas get harder to find, the industry is drilling in suburbia—and the neighbors aren’t pleased.  The Illinois House and Senate passed a regulatory bill last Friday, which had been brokered in a backroom deal by Illinois Democrats, gas industry and labor representatives, and a small cadre of environmental groups but—to the consternation of Steingraber and grassroot activists—without any independent scientists, health experts, or impacted downstate residents at the negotiating table.  Despite these concerns, the Chicago Tribune’s lede was "Let the fracking begin.” The Washington Post, similarly, ran with the prevailing narrative about the bill: "Illinois lawmakers approve nation's toughest fracking regulations."  Not so, says Steingraber, an Illinois native, who has played a key role in the anti-fracking movement in New York and across the country. Testifying at a last minute House committee hearing with Gasland director Josh Fox, leading protests at the Illinois state capitol, and confronting bill negotiators from the offices of Gov. Pat Quinn, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and environmental lobbyists, Steingraber didn't pull any punches. "We consider the fracking regulatory bill to be a subversion of both science and democracy,” she said. “No public hearings or public comment periods ever took place. And yet it is the public that is being compelled to live with the risks sanctioned by this bill. It is an unjust law."  Filmmaker Ben Evans and I sat down with Steingraber on the eve of the vote and asked her to speak on a number of topics, including why Illinois' historic fracking regulations should matter to the rest of the nation, and why the state is becoming another ground zero for the national climate movement.  (Part 1 of the video is above, while parts 2 through 5 are posted below.)                    Ben Evans is a documentary filmmaker, actor, and owner of . His  award-winning eco-docu-comedy, "YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip," is  now available from First Run Features and at .  Interested?     When artist Lopi LaRoe used Smokey the Bear imagery to encourage anti-fracking activism, the Forest Service threatened her with a lawsuit.      The big money oil industry continues to say, "Don't worry, Drive on." But our planet and economies are saying something different.  When fracking hits close to home, Mark Ruffalo, Debra Winger, Yoko Ono, and other big names find common ground with small towns.

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