Fracking conference to be held at Rend Lake College on July 30

INA, Ill. – A limited number of seats remain for a conference on the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” organized by several agencies and held Tuesday, July 30, at Rend Lake College in Ina.

The event is being organized by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) in partnership with Southeastern Illinois College (SIC), Illinois Eastern Community Colleges (IECC) and Rend Lake College. It will feature a variety of speakers, from State Representative John Bradley to local government officials and business people.

Attendance is limited to 300 people, and those interested in attending the conference should RSVP no later than Monday, July 22. Open spaces will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis. Though the conference is geared toward local elected officials and economic developers, public attendance is welcome as long as registration is completed.

The conference is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. in the RLC Theater in Ina, with a lunch provided by RLC and break-out sessions held in the afternoon.

The following is the tentative schedule of events for the conference:

8 a.m.              Registration

8:30 a.m.         Welcome by RLC President Terry Wilkerson and DCEO Director Adam Pollett

8:45 a.m.         Illinois State Representative John Bradley

9 a.m.              Mary Morissey-Kochanny, Office of the Attorney General

9 a.m.              Mitchell Cohen, Illinois Department of Natural Resources

9:30 a.m.         Robert Bauer, U.S. Geological Survey

10 a.m.            Break

10:15 a.m.       Industry Perspectives by Brad Richards, Illinois Oil & Gas Association and Tom Stewart, Ohio Oil & Gas Association

11 a.m.            Economic Development Impacts by Mary Ellen Bechtel, Jefferson County Development Corp

11:30 a.m.       Impacts to Local Governments & Communities: Roads, Infrastructure, Housing, Education by Adam Feig, U of I Extension; Brian Ray, White County Engineer; Grayville Mayor Joe Bisch; Dan Sulsberger, Flora Economic Development; Brad Miller, Hamilton County Board; and Bob Oglesby, Saline County Board.

12:45 p.m.       Break-out sessions and lunch. Break-out sessions include: Municipal, County and Economic Development

2:15 p.m.         Wrap-up by David Yepsen, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute

2:45 p.m.         Adjourn

For more information about the Fracking Conference, contact Kim Watson at 618-993-7630. To register, contact Deb Wilcut at Debbie.wilcut@illinois.gov or at 618-993-7230.