Senator Manar Faces Backlash for Press Conference with Coal Lobbyist

Illinois State Senator Andy Manar is getting pushback from constituents after introducing a bill to help the heavily subsidized state coal mining industry.

A coal industry lobbyist with Foresight Energy joined Manar and other legislators at a press conference for a bill to give Illinois coal an advantage over imports. Roughly 90% of coal burned in Illinois is imported from other states because power plant operators are too cheap to install better pollution controls.

Their press release claims Manar and Senator John Bradley introduced the bill to ensure coal is part of the discussion in negotiations over state energy policy. How sweet of them to look out for poor, overlooked Foresight Energy after it donated only $185,600 to Illinois politicians this year!

Coal is already king of corporate welfare in Illinois. Mining equipment is exempt from the state sales tax, it's heavily subsidized by the Coal Development Office, and it doesn't pay an excise tax levied in other coal producing states. Despite all the extra help, Foresight Energy is still worried their Illinois mines can't compete in a competitive market.

Montgomery county resident Mary Ellen DeClue sent me a copy of a letter she wrote to Senator Manar in response to his coal bill. It's so good I asked permission to share it online.

Dear Senator Manar:
Your interest and concerns about the citizens in central and southern Illinois are appreciated.  As you have acknowledged, our citizens deserve community development and an economic improvement plan.  Observing the aftermath of coal extraction across the world, the U S, West Virginia, and especially Saline County, Illinois, coal is not the progressive sustainable solution for Illinois counties.

The proposed legislation to jump start the Illinois coal industry is misguided and counterproductive. The coal industry in Illinois needs no promotion or development. The coal industry in Illinois is already entrenched in the political system.  This is not due to the positive connections to communities, citizens, and economic benefits, but rather to undue influence of corporate funding and favoritism of Illinois agencies.

The state of Illinois has lost revenue from coal mining. The benefits bestowed on the coal industry have increased profits and liberties to coal entrepreneurs. The quality of life in coal communities is compromised by polluted air and water, damaged farmland, lower property values, higher taxes, unhealthy exposure to coal dust, and inundation and leakage from high hazard coal slurry impoundments.

Coal mining adversely affects communities by extracting more than just coal from them.  The citizens realize they have no more control over their daily lives.  When a government’s public policy establishes corporate profits over the rights of citizens, the spirit of a community is lost. Communities deserve better.

There are presently 8000 coal jobs and 130,000 jobs in renewable energy in Illinois.  If coal miners had a choice of jobs that were not hazardous and did not expose them to black lung disease, don’t you think they would prefer not risking their lives in order to earn a living?  Why aren’t there more efforts to increase job choices in central and southern Illinois?

The negative aspects of coal mining have been enhanced by the tragic actions of the Illinois Office of Mines and Minerals. The mismanagement of Shay 1 indicates just how vulnerable citizens in a community really are. The current status of Shay 1 must be a disappointment to you. Off mine-site contamination has progressed over a decade while more coal waste disposal continues. There is no additional monitoring to document contamination from the unknown amounts of imported coal ash and underground injection of coal slurry. West Virginia has a moratorium on coal slurry injection in mine voids because of ground water contamination. Illinois has not only approved underground coal slurry injection at Shay 1, but subsidizes the process. DCEO awarded Foresight Reserves LP, associate of Foresight Energy, a grant of $1,022,602 to use for coal slurry injection, a conveyor train, and safety equipment at Shay 1 starting in 3/1/2014 and ending in 2/28/2016. The state is actually funding ongoing pollution and the regulatory agencies continue to legalize pollution by approving permits that compromise the safety of communities.

Deer Run Mine is a poster example of how a community is blighted by coal with full approval of IOMM and IEPA. The careless disregard for the health and safety of thousands of residents through government actions is very troubling. The community has no recourse to coal dust, contaminated water discharges, threatening inundation from 2 impoundments, permanently placed high hazard impoundments, subsided farmland, destroyed water resources, etc. IOMM never hesitated approving the location of the coal processing plant next to the hospital or the placement of the 318-acre impoundment where upon failure would destroy life and property of several communities. This second impoundment is 200 feet away from the first 80 foot high 140-acre impoundment and both remain forever in Hillsboro. There are no air monitors to document fugitive coal dust so residents do not know what they are breathing. The mine discharges are analyzed for pH, chloride, and sulfate only, so citizens have no idea of what chemicals or what quantities are contaminating their surface waters. The higher conductance of surface waters around the mine does speak to an increase in contaminants. It is unacceptable that the most harmful chemicals found in coal are not monitored, yet are allowed to permeate the community.

The state energy policies do indeed need to be addressed, but I fear the wrong direction for public policy will be endorsed.  The photo-op of legislators with Foresight Energy’s lead lobbyist sends a message that investment in Foresight Energy will earn favors in Illinois coal permits. The known contributions of Foresight Energy to Illinois lawmakers are published and part of the public record.“Pay to play” or the perception of such must be addressed by citizens and legislators so that Illinois can climb out of the lack of trust hole.

Most importantly, the citizens of central and southern Illinois need job availability other than the polluting, unhealthful effects of coal production as a new direction for livelihoods and community development.

Sincerely,
Mary Ellen DeClue

Illinois Poll Shows Strong Opposition to Fracking

Nearly half of Illinois voters oppose fracking, according to a new poll by the Simon Institute. The statewide poll reveals 48.6% oppose fracking while only 31.8% believe it should be encouraged, even if there are economic benefits. Opponents outnumber supporters an all regions of the state, including downstate where fracking is promoted as a jobs plan.

The numbers reinforce that fracking is one of the issues which cost Governor Pat Quinn support among Democrats and independents in his losing re-election campaign. Illinois Democratic voters overwhelmingly oppose fracking with 61.9% against and 19.7% in favor. Independents oppose it as well, with 48.3% against and 30.6% in support.

Any Illinois candidate looking for support from young voters should stand against fracking. A whopping 74% of 18-24 year-olds don't want it.

A solid 54% majority of Chicago residents are opposed. That's a bad sign for Rahm Emanuel who claims his aggregation deal is a clean energy victory, even though it powers Chicago with natural gas from the Marcellus shale fracking fields.

An election analysis released in January by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute identified low turnout among Democrats, and downstate opposition as reasons for Governor Pat Quinn losing re-election. During the campaign Quinn faced protests against his support for fracking, and as this poll shows, his position is unpopular among the Democratic base. With neither candidate for Governor taking a position against fracking, it left little reason for concerned voters to show up on election day.

There's no issue for which politicians and lobbyists in the statehouse bubble are more out of touch with Illinois voters than on fracking.

After a bill to regulate and launch fracking passed the Illinois legislature, industry lobbyists launched a campaign to portray opponents as a tiny fringe. Overwhelming public outcry against fracking at public hearings provided a reality check. A few accommodating statehouse green groups helped reinforced the false impression that regulation is a consensus middle ground. The Simon poll shows industry claims that fracking opposition is limited to a small group are outrageously false.

Some statehouse Democrats are still out of touch. Central Illinois Senator Dave Koehler recently introduced an amendment to the Illinois Clean Jobs bill that would allow some utilities to pay for converting coal plants to natural gas with a new fee charged to customers. The act creates a market-based carbon auction that may push coal plant operators to make minor upgrades or convert to natural gas. Koehler's amendment would help utilities to keep aging, polluting plants running at ratepayer expense rather than investing in new clean energy.

Most Illinois fracking is on hold, at least temporarily, due to low oil prices. Yet, the issue could play a roll in the 2016 election, particularly in Democratic primaries for U.S. Senate and Congress. Although some Democrats, like Pat Quinn and former Colorado Senator Mark Udall, have supported fracking regulation as a compromise middle crowd, it's a position that alienates voters on both sides of the issue while gaining support from no one but industry donors. Democratic candidates in a competitive primary would be smart to support a ban on fracking.

The poll question adopts a "jobs v. the environment" narrative which assumes fracking would benefit the economy. But, many residents oppose fracking because they don't believe another boom and bust extraction cycle will help the downstate economy. Most people don't want to locate their business or home in a community with poisoned water and air.

Low oil prices and public opposition provide an opportunity for downstate Illinois to build a healthy economy without the destructive impacts of fracking. As the poll shows, many voters are looking for leaders who offer more than empty assurances that regulation will make fracking safe or provide good jobs.

Profile in Cowardice: Senator Don Harmon Fracks Illinois

A clip from my latest up at HuffingtonPost. 

An industry lobbyist told reporters he was thrilled with the updated rules, while environmental groups were forced to admit they hadn't even seen the changes.
Senator Harmon directed the process as chair of the committee. He could have insisted the rules be made available to the public in advance. He could have insisted that changes be debated in public. He could have asked committee members to explain their vote. He could have done a roll call vote instead of a voice vote so citizens have a public record of where their representatives stand. He could have made the rules stronger or rejected them completely. Instead, he gave the oil & gas industry exactly what they wanted. 

The Illinois fracking law was negotiated by lobbyists behind closed doors with no southern Illinois environmentalists invited. The rules were finished the same way, but this time even the pro-regulation statehouse green groups were shut outside.

Thanks for reading and sharing.

It Doesn't Pay to Be a Fossil-Fuel Democrat on Election Day

My new blog at Huffington Post. Cross-posted at Democrats for Progress and DailyKos.

This was a difficult election for Democrats and it was even worse for Democrats still pushing fossil fuels. The Democratic co-chair of the Congressional Coal Caucus lost his seat along with a slew of others who tried to prove they're as pro-coal, pro-oil, and pro-fracking as any Republican. 

There are plenty of examples like Grimes in Kentucky. Or Tennant and Nick Rahall in West Virginia who mimicked conservative talking points on coal in their losing races. Mary Landrieu is expected to lose in a Louisiana run-off. If you can't run on clean energy and climate change in a state that saw Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf oil disaster, then you're an incompetent politician. 

No state made the point more clearly than Illinois, where Democrats serious about climate won reelection while fossil-fuel Democrats lost. Governor Pat Quinn once bragged about passing a bill to launch fracking along with lead Senate sponsor Mike Frerichs. Quinn lost reelection after spending months avoiding the issue (and anti-fracking protesters).

Read the rest here and thanks for sharing.

Southern Illinois asks legislative committee to reject weak fracking rules

Yesterday Illinois was facing an environmental and economic crisis from fracking that was greenwashed by a Democratic Governor who told us regulation can make it safe. Voters were asked to choose between two pro-fracking candidates for Governor. Bruce Rauner won after many downstate voters decided they didn't like either choice and stayed home.

Illinois is now faced with an environmental crisis to be overseen by a Republican Governor who's unlikely to strictly enforce regulation. There's no more greenwashing fracking in Illinois. No politician can credibly claim they're protecting the environment with the weak law passed by the legislature. It's the state's top environmental threat.

The next politicians who may claim they can make fracking safe are legislators on JCAR. After delaying action until after election day, they're expected to vote on fracking rules Thursday. They must reject the rules to prevent poorly regulated fracking from moving forward under Bruce Rauner. Even strong rules would be meaningless if overseen by state regulatory agencies captured by industry. Passing the rules now, even with improvements requested by a few pro-fracking green groups in Chicago, would guarantee environmental disaster.

After JCAR rejects the rules, Pat Quinn has one last chance to fix his mistake by asking the legislature to pass a ban or moratorium on fracking during the upcoming veto session. It can still be done before Bruce Rauner takes office as Governor.

Southern Illinois grassroots environmental leaders sent the following letter asking JCAR to reject the rules.

November 4, 2014
Dear Members of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules:

The undersigned Illinois residents urge this committee to reject the Proposed Rules for the Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act. We have identified numerous procedural deficiencies in the rulemaking process for these proposed rules, each of which is serious enough to have tainted the whole process. This Committee has the authority to reject the Proposed Rules, and we respectfully request that you do so at your November 6, 2014 meeting.

We have identified the following violations of Illinois statutory law committed during the rulemaking period for HFRA:
• IDNR failed to publish a summary of the 135 page proposed rulemaking in the regulatory agenda. (5 ILCS 100/5-60).
• IDNR failed to give sufficient notice of public hearings throughout Illinois; one hearing even received zero notice in the Illinois Register. (5 ILCS 100/5-40)
• IDNR failed to make an agency representative available to answer questions at any of the public hearings held in Illinois. (5 ILCS 100/5-40)
• IDNR refused some citizens admittance to the Chicago hearing. (5 ILCS 100/5-40(b))
• IDNR did not allow some citizens to speak at the Ina (Rend Lake College) hearing. (5 ILCS 100/5-40(b))
• IDNR provided an inadequate opportunity for the public to address the factual basis for its rulemaking depriving members of the public of complete participation in the rulemaking process. (5 ILCS 100/5-60)
• IDNR prejudiced the public's opportunity to comment, by making patently false statements in its first notice. (5 ILCS 100/5-40)
• IDNR failed to comply with the requirement of HFRA section 1-97 by not submitting the required report to the General Assembly by February 1, 2014, thereby depriving citizens the opportunity to evaluate that report during the limited time for public input on rulemaking. (225 ILCS 732/1-97)
• IDNR’s Delay in Publishing the Transcripts of the Public Hearings Prejudiced the Public’s Ability to Evaluate IDNR’s Rulemaking (5 ILCS 100/5-35)

In total, the statutory violations described here have deprived the public of its rights under the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, and when considered cumulatively, the violations also amount to a violation of IDNR’s rulemaking duties under HFRA.

The rulemaking process failed in its essential purpose; the proposed rulemaking violated mandatory statutory and administrative rulemaking procedures and prejudiced the public’s right and ability to participate in this important rulemaking. If JCAR finalizes these rules, then these rules will be incomplete, inadequate, and invalidly enacted to the detriment of Illinois residents who are landowners, mineral interest owners, and members of the communities where high-volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing would occur.

The undersigned below also believe it is critical for this Committee to realize that at the present time, IDNR does not have an adequate budget nor staff to supervise high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing under the HFRA or to monitor compliance with HFRA permits and HFRA.

We have been concentrating on the procedural deficiencies of the rulemaking, as described above, but we also have the following concerns about the health and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing that have been recorded in scientific research: contamination of water supplies, displacement of wildlife, noise and light pollutions, earthquakes and seismic risks, silica dust hazards, low level radiation exposure, and increased burdens on infrastructure, especially in rural communities.

Now is the time for JCAR to acknowledge the procedural deficiencies of this important rulemaking in our State’s history and to do the right thing in the best interest of Illinois residents. Please deny approval of the proposed HRFA rules.

Respectfully,
1. /s/ Ms. Natalie M. Laczek
2. /s/ Ms. Penni S. Livingston
3. /s/ Mr. Vito Amastrangelo
4. /s/ Ms. Tabitha Tripp
5. /s/ Mr. Sam Stearns
6. /s/ Mr. Mark Donham
7. /s/ Mr. Nathan Czuba
8. /s/ Annette McMichaels on behalf
of Southerners Illinoisans Against Fracturing Our Environment SAFE

If you'd like to send your own message to members of JCAR by Wednesday morning you can find their contact information here.

Illinois Green Groups Push to Stop Fracking With All Eyes on JCAR

I have a new blog up at Huffington Post about the latest on the Illinois fracking fight.

The universal response from environmental groups is that Illinois must ban fracking because these rules won't protect the public. Even groups who supported the regulatory law that's designed to open the state to large scale fracking are now pushing for a ban or moratorium.

Governor Quinn Has Baghdad Bob Moment During Fracking Protest

My new blog about the pressure on Pat Quinn to end his support for fracking is up at Huffington Post.

Pat Quinn had his own Baghdad Bob moment during the Illinois State Fair when a reporter asked if the Democratic base is behind his campaign. He awkwardlysmiled and claimed "we have everybody with us," while a protest in the background forced him to speak up as they shouted, "Governor Quinn come on down, anti-frackers are in town!"
Quinn's support for fracking continues to be a problem with environmental voters, particularly downstate, as it undermines his claim to "stand with the people, not the powerful."

While you're at it, check out this letter from the Illinois fracking movement sent to the Director of the Sierra Club asking them to show they're serious about stopping fracking. It's unacceptable for them to remain silent while industry uses Sierra Club's support for regulation to greenwash fracking and attack the movement.

Debunking Illinois oil & gas fracking talking points

I was glad to see how much attention my last piece at EcoWatch and HuffingtonPost received, even if some of it was negative.

CapitolFax engaged in the tsk tsk finger wagging the statehouse old guard always do against any group that gets too aggressive with actions. A Forbes blogger didn't care for my use of the Hunger Games to explain what people mean when they talk about southern Illinois being an extraction sacrifice zone. CapitolFax also called that "over the top."

The comparison obviously struck a chord, but neither writer offered any argument as to why I'm wrong. I suspect the concept of how extraction-based economies breed poverty is too far outside the usual talking points about coal, oil and gas creating jobs. But it's pretty simple. No region that bases its economy on coal mining has ever had lasting prosperity. West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and southern Illinois have all remained poor for a reason.

But, getting to the title of this blog post, I responded in an Illinois Times article to some arguments pro-fracking lobbyists have been using lately.

Denzler called Illinois’ proposed regulations the “strongest environmental regulations in the country.”
Reynolds is not impressed.
“Claiming to have the toughest fracking law is like being the fastest turtle,” he said. “It doesn’t mean much given the competition. No one has shown that regulation can make fracking safe.”

Unfortunately, the four green groups who supported the regulatory law, which helps companies finance large scale fracking operations in Illinois, are repeating the same talking points about how tough it is. So far, I have yet to see any of those organizations publicly correct the politicians and industry lobbyists who use big green support for the law to greenwash fracking and marginalize the fracktivist movement enviro groups claim to represent.

This has been a problem in southern Illinois, where politicians claim Sierra Club support for the law means regulation will protect the environment, and in the legislature, where attempts to fix the fracking law were contradicted and undermined this year by four groups bragging about how strong it is. Defending their decision to back a weak law and their respectability with the statehouse establishment appear to be bigger priorities for pro-fracking greens.

How Much Fracking Will Remain Unregulated in Illinois?

My latest Huffington Post blog covers the latest actions against fracking and a loophole oil frackers plan to exploit to avoid most regulation.

It's also at Democrats for Progress and DailyKos. And the "For Sale" picture is on tumblr.

Opposition continues as people learn more about the inadequacy of a law that was written behind closed doors and rushed through the legislature with very little public scrutiny. A recent day of action saw citizens in Chicago and southern Illinois bring accountability to those responsible for the dangerously weak fracking law.

"For sale" signs were placed at the campaign office of state representative Mike Bost, who co-sponsored the law while claiming it would "keep our air clean, protect our water supply and maintain our environment." In fact, the law contains no provisions to limit toxic air emissions that harm the health of those living nearby.

An Environmental Justice Agenda from Illinois Coal & Fracking Fighters

My new HuffingtonPost piece features a new call to action on the Illinois fracking and coal extraction crisis. I wrote a bit about why we have to think about extraction in rural Illinois as an environmental justice issue.

There's an old political tradition in Illinois of politicians pandering to environmentalists in Chicago and to the coal industry downstate. Convicted ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich mastered the game by heavily subsidizing coal while keeping environmental groups pacified with new air quality laws, efficiency standards, and support for renewable energy. Subsidies to promote fossil fuels as an economic development tool keep rural Illinois focused on short-term, destructive jobs while most green job creation happens in the northern half of the state.
The old game is changing as people in coal and fracking regions are demanding better protections of their health, land, and water. 

I wrote more at HuffPo, but here's the full letter signed by 21 grassroots groups working on the front lines of the Illinois extraction crisis.

Illinois Must Act to Stop Extraction Crisis
Illinois is facing an unprecedented environmental, social and economic crisis. The anticipated launch of industrialized fracking combined with resurgence in coal mining present a double threat to the people, land, water, and long term economic health of southern and central Illinois.

Illinois coal mining has increased 70% in Illinois since 2010 thanks to an increase in coal exports, widespread use of scrubbers to accommodate high sulfur coal, and the reduction of mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia. At the same time, it has become increasingly clear that Illinois' weak fracking law will not adequately protect the public. Leading climate scientists have warned we must leave much of the world's remaining fossil fuel resources in the ground to avoid additional catastrophic consequences of climate change, such as record drought and flooding. The acceleration of fossil fuel extraction in Illinois exacerbates both a local and global crisis. State government must act:

Ban Fracking
Southern and central Illinois must not become a sacrifice zone to a dirty energy policy that will contribute significantly to climate change. Volume limits and other loop-holes will result in an unknown number of wells being exempt from regulation. Even if every provision of the current fracking law is enforced, people and the environment will not be adequately protected. Fracking must be banned.

Create a New Energy Economy in Coal Country
Coal country needs a bailout. Most clean energy jobs are being created in the northern half of Illinois, leaving the rest of the state behind. Downstate deserves more than dangerous, temporary fracking jobs, and empty promises about reviving the coal industry. Establish a coalfields regeneration fund to build a new energy economy targeted to areas left in poverty by boom and bust extraction cycles. We want a future with clean energy jobs like those being created in Iowa and California; not a future as an impoverished sacrifice zone like West Virginia or Wyoming coalfields.

Overhaul Regulatory Agencies
Years of lax enforcement, waived penalties, few inspectors, and recent staff scandals have undermined confidence that the Department of Natural Resources or Illinois EPA can effectively regulate mining and industrialized fracking. Additional funding to hire new staff will not change the institutional culture of agencies that have been unwilling to adequately protect public health. DNR and IEPA must be dramatically reformed or responsibility handed over to federal oversight.

End Fossil Fuel Subsidies and Coal Export Expansion
A report by Downstream Strategies found that the the coal industry costs the Illinois state budget roughly $20 million annually. Illinois must stop subsidizing a devastating industry that will never again provide the jobs it once did. Everyone loses when Illinois promotes coal exports to foreign nations with weak pollution laws. People in developing countries will suffer increased rates of lung disease, heart disease, birth defects, and other health impacts. Illinois suffers the consequences of poorly regulated coal mining. The global community will suffer the impact of climate change. Illinois must end its policy of subsidizing coal through state grants and expanding export infrastructure.

Signed: Buckminster Fuller Future Organization, Canton Area Citizens for Environmental Issues, Citizens Against Longwall Mining, Citizens Act to Protect Our Water (CAPOW!), Eco-Justice Collaborative, Friends of Bell Smith Springs, Gaia House Interfaith Center, Heartwood Forest Alliance, Indiana Forest Alliance, Justice for Rocky Branch, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Nuclear Energy Information Service, S.E.N.S.E. (SIUC Students), Regional Association of Concerned Environmentalists (RACE), Rising Tide Chicago, Shawnee Hills and Hollers, Southeast Environmental Task Force, Southern Illinoisans Against Fracturing our Environment (SAFE), Students for Environmental Concerns (UIUC Students), Sustainable Springfield Inc, Tar Sands Free Midwest

Illinois Coal Campaign Cash Scandal Reveals Culture of Corruption

The Chris Cline coal campaign contribution scandal has grown bigger than I ever expected. CoalGate is getting wide press coverage and resulted in a second acting director of Mines & Minerals being removed for the same actions as Tony Mayville. Here's a rundown of the press coverage and expanding consequences since I first wrote about a former mine regulator taking campaign contributions from a coal industry billionaire.

Patrick Yeagle at Illinois Times was the first reporter to give the story the full journalism treatment. IT reported that Tony Mayville was placed on unpaid leave and an investigation is underway.

Jim Tenuto, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections, says a state law on official misconduct may make the contributions a criminal act, though that’s up to a state’s attorney or the attorney general to decide. Under the state law, if Mayville solicited the contributions, it would be a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine.
Chris McCloud, spokesman for DNR, said the contributions to the committee controlled by Mayville came to light when Mayville sought permission from DNR director Marc Miller to run for elected office. 

The trouble is that Mayville was already taking contributions from the coal industry to his Washington County Democratic political fund when he was made acting director of the Office of Mines & Minerals in 2012. It was public information easily accessible by a simple web search. It was no secret that Mayville was chair of a county political party. Did no one bother checking at the time or did no one care? Or both.

WSIL TV news interviewed Mayville for their story. He tried to keep the focus on a contribution to his State Representative campaign fund instead of the additional contributions he was taking to his political party fund since 2008.


His defense says it all. He argues that the contributions are no big deal because the company representative is a good friend he used to work with anyway. Think about that for a minute. The guy who was in charge of mine safety for Illinois, and the entire Mines & Minerals Office for a time, is saying that campaign contributions from the industry he regulates can't influence him because he's already such good buddies with industry officials. He actually argued that!

That shows exactly the problem I set out to highlight. There's a cozy good ol' boy network among DNR regulatory staff and their friends and former co-workers in the industries they regulate. A top Illinois regulator just said so!

In case it wasn't obvious enough that this is part of a broader problem within the agency, the current acting director of Mines & Minerals was jut caught doing the exact same thing. I first read at Capitol Fax, and then the News-Gazette that Douglas County Democratic Party Chairman Michael Woods Sr. was removed from his position for accepting political contributions from Foresight Energy, a company owned by the Cline Group.

Within a few days of Foresight's $10,000 donation to the Douglas County Democrats, officials disbursed much of it to Democratic candidates and other party organizations outside of Douglas County.
The largest sum — $5,000 — went to Gov. Pat Quinn's re-election campaign. Another $1,200 went to the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen's Association. And $250 went to the campaign fund of state Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign.
The Douglas County Democrats also gave $1,000 to the campaign fund of Tony Mayville, a Democratic candidate for the Illinois House in the 115th District in southern Illinois. 

Douglas county Democrats had a sleepy little campaign fund until Wood got his promotion at IDNR. Then, what do you know, Foresight Energy gave them a $10,000 political contribution. It's a pattern.

Chris Cline is not an insignificant donor. He massively expanded his Illinois coal holdings in recent years to make him one of the top energy players in the state. His companies have had many issues pending before DNR and will have many more. He's making ginormous contributions through multiple subsidiaries to Illinois politicians. Billionaire Chris Cline is attempting to purchase control of the state's political and regulatory systems.

An excellent video about a recent hearing on a Cline mine near Hillsboro reveals the dysfunction of the current system.



Pat Quinn and Mike Frerichs donated the campaign funds they received from the Douglas County Democrats to charity. But, they're keeping hundreds of thousands they've taken directly from Chris Cline and his coal empire. It's a nice attempt to avoid controversy, but keeping their other Cline donations sends the message that they're still available for purchase.

It would be a disservice if Governor Quinn is allowed to deflect attention from this scandal after two personnel changes at IDNR. This is a systemic problem about the culture of a crucial regulatory agency full of political hires leftover from the Blagojevich administration. People deserve to know whether Chris Cline companies were regulated to the full extent of the law in both the permitting process and with mine safety. Fatal mine accidents and cancer-causing pollutants make this literally a life and death issue.

Favorite Comments from the Petition to Ban Fracking in Illinois

The MoveOn.org Fracking Fighter petition to ban fracking in Illinois got off to a fast start! It's just shy of the first 500 signatures. The comments people add are fun to read so here are some of my favorites, with each signer's town instead of their name because internet trolls.

Fracking will not help our local economy. Don't believe the lies. Ban fracking everywhere. Don't believe me. Ask every small town in Pennsylvania that has allowed fracking. Ask anyone who has ever lit there tap water on fire. Ban fracking! - Glen Carbon, IL

Allowing fracking may create new jobs in the short run, but in the long run fracking will cost health and lives and lots of money to clean up after the fracking company goes bankrupt. Protect Illinois citizens by not allowing fracking in Illinois. -Carbondale, IL

Yep. The fracking boom won't last but the economic destruction will linger once water is poisoned and rural areas are industrialized. A number of comments focus on the reality of an extraction-based economy.

Fracking is detrimental to people, the planet's vital biodiversity, and the economy. Please reconsider doing huge environmental damage and instead invest money into actual renewable energy such as solar and wind that pays off in the long run. - Skokie, IL

Fracking poses too great a threat to public health to be allowed in Southern Illinois. Please protect our drinking water and other natural resources by banning the destructive practice of hydraulic fracturing in Illinois. Our need for clean ground water far outweighs our need for industrial jobs or cheap gas, regardless of what uninformed people may say. Don't allow yourselves to be tempted by the promise of big money by the oil and gas industry. Rest assured that the privatized profits from fracking can never equal the public's costs. We are depending on you to represent us. Please don't betray our trust. You have the power to protect the Earth for future generations. Use that power to preserve our most precious resources. We can live without money. We can live without gas and oil. We cannot live without clean water. - Makanda, IL

Governor Quinn, I beg you to outlaw fracking in Illinois. The evidence is overwhelming that it pollutes the groundwater, which is one of our most valuable resources. Please, sir -- you've always forged your own path; please keep doing so by banning fracking. Thank you. - Springfield, IL

"A region’s economic and environmental strength is based on the availability of clean water."
- Pat Quinn

 Woops! How did that get there? Governor Quinn didn't sign the petition but that's a real quote from the dedication of a wastewater treatment plant. Do you think he sees the contradiction between his words and his push to launch fracking in Illinois?

I like to drink water. safe water. so leave it alone. - Harrisburg, IL

The current legislation and its interpretation and enforcement will do little to actually PREVENT the contamination of MY water and the water of most of rural Illinoisians. For the life of me, i do not understand the selling our or rural agriculture to the extractive corporations that seem intent on destroying it. By unleashing wide-scale fracking upon us, our elected officials have failed as guardians of the people. Why have our officials not gone to Pennsylvania or Colorado or North Dakota to see for themselves. Why have they not spoken with the people adversely affected? They have had the opportunity. Why, is intent on bringing a so called "safe" industry, have they not set up small scale pilot projects that could be monitored and reported on transparently? I fear the answer is... they really don't want to know. - Taylorville, IL

I like how many signatures are from small towns that are supposedly too conservative to be against fracking.

Our legislators need to stop allowing industries to destroy Illinois and put all of Illinois citizens at risk to pollution and destruction. Where are your brains? Get your hands out of the corporations' pockets and serve the people that you were elected to serve and not your corporate campaign contributors. - Canton, IL

I am expecting my first child this summer and rely on well water, I want to be certain it will stay safe for my little one. - Pamona, IL

 There is no such thing as safe fracking. Governor Quinn, ban it from our state immediately! - Goreville, IL

It is completely ridiculous that we have no voice in this, no representation from the areas that will actually be fracked. BAN IT. - Carbondale, IL

I grew up in Illinois and want to retire there. I hope to return to a environmentally sound place. Ban all fracking. It's not wise to mess with the water table. - Oswego, NY

What? Doesn't everyone want to open a business or retire somewhere with poisoned water an noxious fumes making them sick?

It's bad enough there's a new proposed room and pillar mine in East Central Illinois that state reps don't seem to care about. Add fracking into the mix in other parts of the state, and watch as our precious farmland and resources such as water (fracking uses LOTS of water) are wasted. There's nothing safe about fracking, and nothing good will come to Illinois because of it. - Homer, IL

As a West Virginian experiencing first hand the devastating impacts of fracking and the recent spill of MCHM ( also a fracking chemical), Illinios would do well to ban fracking and look to Pennsylvania and WV as cautionary tales. Salem, WV

The only truly protective fracking regulation is a ban. - Mossville, IL

The regulations are absurdly and irresponsibly mediocre. The people of Southern Illinois are insulted. - Carbondale, IL

I am a high school student and did a research paper on fracking, It does not sound good for any place. Most of all a state that is covered in 700 million acres of FARMLAND! This is my future home, please stop poisoning it. Invest in Green Enegry! - Crest Hill, IL

Fracking uses millions of gallons of fresh water, permanently poisons it, leaves some underground while the rest must be dumped somewhere, opens unknown cracks in the earth for chemicals to seep unseen into groundwater, releases radioactivity from underground, and causes earthquakes. Is that enough reason? Oh yeah, and it uses enormous quantities of energy to do so, burning much more fuel than would possibly be recovered. What a fiasco! - Chicago, IL

We need very urgently to move away from fossil fuels and the greenhouse gases they produce, not find more environmentally destructive ways to extract them. We need to protect what remains of our natural heritage, not hand it over to an industry that already has far too much money and influence. - Glenwood, IL

And my favorite of them all gets right to the point:

Don't be a douche bag!! - Galesburg, IL

You can sign and share the petition here, with or without a comment.

Will Illinois Ban Fracking After Disaster Strikes Or Before?

I forgot to add links here to my latest blog post! It's up at EcoWatch and Huffington Post.

An Illinois ban on fracking is inevitable. The question is whether it will happen beforeor after a major fracking disaster.

The public comment period on Illinois' draft regulations ended January 3 with groups in potentially impacted areas repeating their call for a ban on fracking. A group of southern Illinois residents representing several grassroots groups drove to Illinois Department of Natural Resources headquarters in Springfield to join with Frack Free Illinois in delivering comments on the regulation and a petition asking Governor Quinn to oversee a rewrite.

Tabitha Tripp, of Anna-Jonesboro, said in a statement, "these inadequate rules will leave nothing but legacies of disasters to those who voted on this irresponsible law and abandon Illinois tax payers who will indeed foot the bill for public health issues like cancer and leukemia."

You can read the rest here.

One purpose of this essay is to promote my new MoveOn.org petition to ban fracking in Illinois. I was selected as one of 100 MoveOn.org Fracking Fighters so the petition is part of that effort. It's got off to a fast start and is still growing steadily!

I know I get cynical about so many petitions around and whether they'll be noticed by anyone. I'm working with people on fun ways to make sure this one is noticed by elected officials. It's part of an ongoing organizing effort so sharing this petition will help build the effort to stop fracking in Illinois. Please sign and share if you haven't already!

Right wing blog caught plagiarizing me. Accuses me of lying but google cache tells all.

I'm going to warn you up front that this is a petty, trivial post but you may get a laugh out of it like I did.

Friday evening I wrote on my blog about a proposal to rename a major Chicago roadway after Nelson Mandela. It's a good idea from a good Illinois State Representative, La Shawn Ford.

Sunday morning I saw a twitter link for the conservative blog, Illinois Review, writing the same thing. Or, copy-and-pasting the same because it was taken entirely from my blog and the press release. They just added a few lines at the end trashing Representative Ford, of course.

The big giveaway was their use of the distinctive line from my blog that, "the change would put Mandela's name on the tip of many Chicagoan's tongues daily." They also used the same photo I took from HuffingtonPost, who took it from AP. But, they didn't link back to my blog! Not a big deal, but bad netiquette.

Illinois Review does some original content, but it's part of the network of conservative blogs that spam the internet by copy-and-pasting stories from each other while often obscuring the original source (presumably Grover Norquist's underground bunker). It's an effective tactic for spreading the latest talking points and manipulating google searches.

I decided to leave a comment with a link back to my blog so their readers could see where they found the story. It wasn't approved. I tried again. It still didn't show up but they did approve a couple comments trashing Mandela because what else do you expect?

Since they wouldn't even approve a link to my blog as a comment (and I was procrastinating doing real work) I decided to needle them a little by calling them out on twitter.

Pretty blatant plagiarizing of my blog without attribution by @IllinoisReview http://t.co/JpCdrMhY4I @ILBlogNetwork
— Will Reynolds (@willinois) December 7, 2013

At this point, Illinois Review could have done several things and I never would have given it another thought. They could have:
1) Added a link with or without an apology.
2) Not responded.
3) Changed the post without comment.

What do they do instead? Deny it! They claim it all came from the press release. Then they covered their tracks by editing to remove the phrases and picture taken from my blog. So I respond...

I see you just edited to remove sentences obviously taken from my blog but still no link. You stay classy @IllinoisReview
— Will Reynolds (@willinois) December 7, 2013

And then this happens.



They accuse me of lying! That's when I got pissed. Not giving a link back is merely rude. Editing a post and then accusing me of making the whole thing up crosses a line!

I responded: "lol @IllinoisReview It's not a big deal unless you make it worse by lying. Google cache and screen caps exist." That warning may be why they deleted their end of our twitter exchange, once again covering their tracks. But google cache. I took a screen cap of the original plagiarized post they took down.

You can click to enlarge the screen cap from google cache and compare it to the edited version online now. The new version looks like it came directly from the press release, as they claim. The original makes it very obvious that they copied my blog.

Everyone borrows and modifies phrases now and then. It's no big deal. What's the point of lying about where you found a story, trying to cover it up, and then accusing me of lying when I call them on it? WTF?

It's the contagious Fox News mentality. Fox misleads viewers daily and never makes a correction. This is the perfect example of why no amount of scientific studies will ever convince the hard core right-wing talk radio crowd that climate change is real. They would rather make up new lies to cover their tracks before ever admitting they're wrong.

Now I'm forced to defend my reputation since they tried to make me look like some kind of crazy person making up stories. Now the whole exchange and screencaped proof is here so everyone can laugh at Illinois Review. If you're going to create an entire blog by copy-and-pasting stories, at least link back to your source, even when it's a liberal tree-hugger blog.

Also, I strongly recommend you sign Representative Ford's online petition to rename Cicero Avenue in honor of Nelson Mandela. Mostly because it's a good idea, but also because it will annoy the lying plagiarizers at Illinois Review whenever they drive by a sign for Mandela Road.

Representative Proposes Naming a Chicago Street "Mandela Road"

Illinois State Representative La Shawn Ford is proposing renaming Cicero Avenue in Chicago to honor Nelson Mandela. His press release states:

"Illinois Route 50 is the perfect state highway to be renamed, as it crosses so many different communities and will remind us of the almost miraculous work that Nelson Mandela undertook as he brought together people in his own country and all over the world to advance peace, democracy and opportunity. His work should be an inspiration for us to work for those same goals."

At 66 miles long, Cicero is certainly no side road. The change would put Mandela's name on the tip of many Chicagoan's tongues daily. Ford has an online petition to support his proposal.

I think it's an excellent idea! The old Roman Senator Cicero won't mind since he still has the Illinois town named after him. Mandela Road will have more meaning to young people who should be taught about the man's legacy.

Hundreds of thousands greeted Mandela during his 1993 visit to Chicago. Now the city has another chance to honor him.

I've been recommending that people read Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, if you haven't already. It's exciting as a movement history, a narrative of his time in prison, and even his early tribal upbringing was like a story from another world. Read it now or give it to someone for Christmas. The world should now his true story.

Representative Scherer Votes Against Marriage Equality. Begs for Primary Challenge.

In August I wrote about Illinois State Representative Sue Scherer’s noncommittal comments on the same sex marriage proposal and the grassroots campaign to encourage a yes vote. As locals who follow the issue already know, she voted against the bill. Thankfully, Illinois still approved marriage equality without her help!

She must have felt strongly about the issue because it’s difficult to see any political advantage to her vote. She represents a strongly Democratic gerrymandered district where being liberal would only make her re-election easier.

But, this isn’t the only issue where she seems uninterested in representing the district. She hasn’t been visibly outspoken on public employee pensions, which is inexcusable for someone representing so many state workers in the Springfield and Decatur area.

Additionally, she has one of the worst environmental records in legislature. Her mediocre 57% IEC rating is worse than it sounds since most of the environmental votes this year were largely non-controversial issues that passed by overwhelming margins. Even notoriously anti-environment Republicans, such as Mike Bost, ranked better on this year's scorecard than Scherer. It's hard to imagine why she's opposed to letting cities plan green stormwater management or why she voted against expanding energy efficiency programs.

Her voting record might be appropriate in a conservative Republican district, but her failure to vote with the Democratic district she represents has many residents looking forward to her primary election in March.

Moderates and Independents Oppose Fracking in Southern Illinois

A new poll by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute shows surprising levels of opposition to fracking among southern Illinois residents. Despite using the cliche, false choice narrative of "jobs v. the environment," poll respondendents were evenly split on whether fracking should be encouraged.

Surprisingly, moderates and independents are more opposed to fracking than either Democrats or Republicans. Among moderates, 47.4% believe the state should not encourage fracking while 33.0% believe we should. Independents are against fracking by an even wider margin with 53.7% against and 28.2% for.

As someone who has worked on coal issues in southern Illinois, I'm surprised to see the region so divided over another fossil fuel extraction industry. A minority know how the coal industry is a drain on both the regional economy and environment. The Simon Institute poll has a whoping 80.9% with a favorable or very favorable opinion of the coal industry. That level of support doesn't extend to fracking, despite almost universal support from local state legislators and news outlets.

Some of Illinois' conservative political establishment still hold to the outdated view that the environment is a special interest for hippie tree-huggers. This poll gives a reality check that fracking is a wedge issue which could be exploited by candidates in either major party. People react when you threaten their water supply and the places they love, no matter what their party affiliation.

Many state legislators voted for the fracking regulatory bill earlier this year believing it was a consensus issue. Lobbyists from industry groups and a few statehouse green groups agreed to a regulatory bill that allowed fracking to move forward. This poll shows that the few Chicago-headquartered environmental groups which advocated for the fracking bill didn't represent the views of many southern Illinoisans, much less environmentalists in the region who demand a moratorium. State legislators may find that their vote to launch the fracking assault will be more controversial among swing voters than they were lead to believe.

Rep. Sue Scherer under pressure as Illinois gay marriage campaign mobilizes grassroots

Civil rights advocates were disappointed at the end of this year's Illinois legislative session after the gay marriage bill failed to come up for a vote. The movement responded by quietly going home because getting too aggressive might upset Democratic leaders.

Just kidding! Actually, they turned up the heat with a grassroots statewide campaign. Illinois Unites for Marriage hired organizers to mobilize support before the next legislative session and they're not limiting themselves to the usual liberal areas of Chicago. Their target list includes downstate representatives like Democrat Sue Scherer in the 96th district, which covers most of Springfield and Decatur.

Scherer's public comments have been vague but generally against gay marriage. Back in February she said:

“We've had civil unions, and it hasn't even been two years,” Scherer said. “The purpose of the civil union was to give people in this situation the rights they felt they deserved. I think that needs to have time to go through the system before we go further.”

This is an interesting quote. I usually describe someone as being "in this situation" if they're on the side of the road having car trouble or if they accidentally discover their butt got too big for the McDonald's playland tube. But at least she's not saying anything hateful, so that's OK.

I'm also not sure how one would know when civil unions have sufficiently "gone through the system." Maybe when date night becomes routine? Since we just passed the anniversary of Martin Luther King's famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial, she might remember a phrase King used in a similar situation: "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

More recently, Scherer was quoted thus:

“If the bill is just straight up as I have seen it to be then I would be not voting for gay marriage, but I can’t say that for a fact, because there are always things that get thrown in and changed, I know that’s not just a black and white answer but unless I’m looking at the bill and voting it could always change up to the minute we vote on it.”

I think that means she could go either way.

The usual knee-jerk assumption of the statehouse establishment is to assume that anything liberal and controversial will be a liability come election time, especially in a downstate district. But, Scherer represents an overwhelmingly Democratic district with a significant LGBT population. There's virtually no danger of her being defeated by a Republican. She could be the most liberal Democrat in the legislature and it would only help her more easily win the primary.

Her only political risk with this vote is from a pro-civil rights primary challenger should she fail to support gay marriage. It's both the right thing to do and the politically smart thing to do.

If you're interested in the campaign you can volunteer at the Illinois Unites for Marriage website or contact Drew directly if you're represented by Sue Scherer.

Illinois fracking rules sponsor buys Chicago luxury hotel stays, jewelry, gifts courtesy of campaign fund stuffed by fracking interests

Representative John Bradley, chief sponsor of the proposed fracking bill written with industry lobbyists, sometimes pleads with listeners about his concern for water quality in southern Illinois. He testified in favor of the fracking bill saying, "Our first and foremost ... effort, intent in everything we did and every negotiation we had, was first and foremost that we are going to protect the ground water in southern Illinois."

Many residents in areas slated for fracking find it difficult to take those words seriously after he took thousands in campaign contributions from fracking interests while negotiating the regulatory bill. Of course, he claims the money doesn't influence him.

And after all, the money is only spent on campaign expenses. Right? Well...

John Bradley finds interesting uses for his campaign funds, including multiple trips to pricey luxury hotels in Chicago and St. Louis, jewelry, and other gifts.

His most recent campaign finance filing shows he spent $736.47 for three days at the Talbott Hotel in January. Their website describes it as a luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Chicago's effervescent Gold Coast.

Perhaps less opulent hotels were all booked that week, but similar expenses show up on his other reports. On December 20 of last year he spent $701.40 at Chicago's River North Westin Hotel. In July he spent just over $1,000 at the Michigan Avenue Westin for himself and a staff member. That same month he spent $3,343 of campaign funds at the Hilton Suites on the Magnificent Mile. In between those trips, he found time for a $596.83 July 21 stay at St. Louis' Chase Park Plaza.

I'm guessing he didn't see many of his southern Illinois constituents while spending July in downtown Chicago's best hotels. But, perhaps he did when he returned again in September to spend an additional $765.97 at River North Westin, another $442.32 at the Magnificent Mile Hilton, plus a mere $221.16 at the downtown Sheraton, all in the same month.

I looked back through just one more filling period and found more of the same. Nearly $5,000 for more stays at pricey Chicago hotels in the first half of 2012.

More recently, he spent roughly $1,000 on gifts for his staff. That includes over $300 spent at a jewelry store for one staff member, and $233 at the Magnificent Mile Brooks Brothers. There were several small payments to a member of his family, but those appear to be campaign expenses during his last election.

This may sound similar to Jesse Jackson Jr's misuse of his Congressional campaign fund. But luckily for State Representative Bradley, rules at the state level are more lenient than they are for members of Congress. General Assembly members are free to use their campaign fund in ways that aren't directly related to campaign activity.

I believe Representative Bradley when he says he cares about water quality in southern Illinois. But, I bet he also doesn't mind staying in luxury hotels and shopping the Magnificent Mile courtesy of the fracking industry and his other campaign donors. It doesn't help dispel his reputation for being a puppet of fossil fuel industry lobbyists.

Illinois fracking moratorium bill gains new co-sponsors as citizen movement grows

Nine members of the Illinois House added themselves as co-sponsors to the fracking moratorium bill last week after the pro-fracking regulatory bill passed an Executive Committee vote. It reflects growing opposition to the fracking regulation bill after it was recently introduced to the public.

The environmental community overwhelmingly favors a moratorium, and action by leaders in regions threatened by fracking continue to draw attention at the Capitol. Citizens lobbied the legislature over the holiday weekend, the sit-in  outside the Governor's office continues, and Sandra Steingraber will return to the Capitol Wednesday.

For more on the citizen push for a fracking moratorium, check out my article at EcoWatch, and this interview with Melody Lamar, a Springfield resident arrested to bring attention to Governor Quinn's failure to meet with environmental leaders in fracking regions.