Springfield, Ill.
(AP) -- Thirteen environmental and citizen groups are planning to converge in Springfield to oppose high-volume oil and gas drilling in Illinois.
Opponents of hydraulic fracturing, or
"fracking," plan to hold a rally and meet with Illinois legislators on Tuesday. They're
hoping to persuade lawmakers to support a two-year moratorium on the practice.
Fracking uses high-pressure mixtures of
water, sand or gravel and chemicals to crack rock formations to release oil and
natural gas.
Some environmental groups joined with
industry to help draft a bill that would regulate fracking instead of banning
it. Those who helped write the regulations say they would be among the nation's
toughest.
But others say the practice should be banned
until more research is done on health and environmental effects and until
better pollution-control technology is developed.
