The future of fracking and its impact on Illinois – Chicago Tribune
Good morning, Chicago.
Steve Harmon’s house shakes when the mining company 100 yards away blasts into what was once farmland. His patio is constantly covered in a thin layer of fine white sand. He and his neighbors also had their groundwater wells replaced two years ago after iron leached into their drinking water.
The LaSalle County native is simply thankful the sand mine only operates a few days a week.
This is the lesser-known side of the fracking industry that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have vocally supported on the campaign trail.
The cocktail is injected into bedrock to fracture it and force once-trapped oil and natural gas to the surface. Most of this drilling has happened in Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Texas, which have richer fossil fuel reserves and less restrictive regulations than Illinois.
However, little attention and oversight has been given to the sand mines in LaSalle County that proliferated because of drilling operations in these other states.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Karina Atkins.
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