HB6222 Summary

• Amends the Illinois Oil and Gas Act to create regulations for hydraulic fracturing in shale extraction, requiring the Department of Natural Resources to establish rules for operators and service companies.

• Requires well operators to complete and post disclosure forms on the Ground Water Protection Council registry website listing total water volume used and all chemical ingredients subject to federal requirements (29 C.F.R. 1910.1200(g)(2)).

• Allows operators and service companies to claim certain information as trade secrets (including Chemical Abstract Service Numbers and chemical amounts), but limits challenges to trade secret claims to surface owners, agricultural tenants directly affected, and relevant state agencies, with challenges due within two years of well completion report filing.

• Mandates mechanical integrity testing of casing and casing-tubing annulus before hydraulic fracturing and monitoring of annulus pressure during well stimulation operations.

• Requires operators to report to the Department on the amounts, handling, and disposal or reuse of well stimulation fluid recovered during flowback and production, with storage in tanks or lined pits to protect underground drinking water sources.