Beginning next year, a new law will require People’s Gas to pay for yearly state inspections of its downstate natural gas storage field, and to notify local residents and authorities whenever a leak occurs. Governor Bruce Rauner signed the legislation at the University of Illinois Thursday.
State Senator Chapin Rose says he believes Governor Bruce Rauner will sign his bill placing more requirements on the Manlove underground gas storage field in Champaign County.
The Illinois Senate passed a revised bill on May 24, after earlier measures stalled in the House. The bill aims to protect the Mahomet Aquifer, east central Illinois’ primary water source, from underground natural gas leaks.
The Illinois State Senator representing much of the area covered by the Mahomet Aquifer, says he’s got ideas for a task force looking at ways to protect the aquifer from future accidental contamination.
