Big Oil, labor exploiters, industrial food factories, frackers and other corporate profiteers have been paying a lot of money to a man that celebrates himself as “Dr. Evil” – the scourge of all progressive groups! But Rick Berman is not a doctor, not evil and not a scourge. While he is a wholly unprincipled little […]
fracking
Posted inNews
Illinois DNR revises fracking regulations
State regulators have released new regulations for a highly controversial oil and gas extraction technique. Environmental groups in the area that will be affected say the new protections aren’t enough, while energy companies say the new rules are too burdensome. The Illinois General Assembly in June 2013 passed a law allowing high-volume hydraulic fracturing, which […]
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Fracking fast track bill defeated
Illinois is taking too long to approve regulations for a controversial oil and gas drilling method, according to a coalition of businesses. They simply asked lawmakers to speed things up with legislation to circumvent the rulemaking process. The bill infuriated many environmental groups and ignited a flurry of calls to legislators that killed the bill […]
Posted inOpinion
Finding populism today
Mass movements don’t just appear out of the fog, fully grown, structured and mobilized. They emerge in fits and starts over many years, just as the American Revolution did, and as did the Populists’ original idea of a “cooperative commonwealth.” In 2011, a serendipitous moment for the populist cause rumbled across our land. That September, […]
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What’s making us sick?
In 1984, an engineer named Stanley Watras set off a radiation detector at the nuclear power plant he was helping to build in Pottstown, Pa. The power plant hadn’t started producing power yet, so plant officials were perplexed at how Watras could have become so radioactive. What they found revealed a potential danger in homes […]
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Clash over fracking rules
Illinois state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, testifies in support of his bill to regulate fracking before a legislative committee in May. The bill became law and is currently being implemented by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Illinois is preparing to allow the use of a controversial method of extracting oil […]
Posted inOpinion
Trans-Pacific Partnership: Aka corporate coup
What if our national leaders told us that communities across America had to eliminate such local programs as Buy Local, Buy American, Buy Green, etc. to allow foreign corporations to have the right to make the sale on any products purchased with our tax dollars? This nullification of our people’s right to direct expenditures is […]
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What to expect with fracking
Illinois will soon be open range for hydraulic fracturing, the controversial technique for freeing oil and natural gas trapped in underground shale rock. But even as the state prepares its rules governing the technique, some environmental activists are vowing a continued fight in cities and counties across southern Illinois. On June 17, Illinois Gov. Pat […]
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Fracking bill draws harsh criticism in Statehouse
In the formerly quiet towns of western North Dakota, there are new strangers arriving every day. New housing is being erected at a breakneck pace, and newfound wealth is flowing quickly into the rolling hills because of the wealth flowing out of them. Hydraulic fracturing of the Bakken Shale rock formation has created an oil […]
Posted inOpinion
Saving our ravaged planet … and ourselves
Earth Day cometh – the 43rd year of this national focus on the state of our globe. So, how is Earth doing? Should we be weeping … or cheering? Both. The first step to any recovery is recognition of the obvious: Earth has a problem. In fact, beaucoup of them. For example, despite the squawking […]
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The cost of fracking
Nearly a mile below the surface of southern Illinois, a vast reserve of oil and natural gas sits locked in thick shale rock. While Illinois has a long history of tapping into its enormous fossil fuel resources, unlocking the shale reserve takes a new approach that could bring both economic windfall and potential for environmental […]
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Natural gas fracking is coming to Illinois
Illinois is poised to tap into a rich vein of money by allowing an oil and gas drilling method known as “fracking,” but environmental concerns and disagreement over state taxes are keeping that financial well plugged for now. Hydraulic fracturing of shale rock – called “fracking” for short – has been used since the 1940s […]
