Tomorrow afternoon, the LaSalle County Board will vote on a resolution to place a temporary moratorium on new silica sand mining operations. The county is currently working to update its Comprehensive Plan, a document they regularly rely upon to make land-use decisions. The moratorium will not only (temporarily) stop new mines from going in, but […]
PRN Talks Farm Bill with Congressman Davis
Prairie Rivers Network has a new neighbor, Congressman Rodney Davis of the 13th District. He is occupying the office of retired Congressman Tim Johnson on Fox Drive in Champaign. So it was an easy stroll to meet with him recently about our priorities for the federal Farm Bill. During the meeting, we requested that Congressman […]
Prairie Rivers Network Seeks Environmental Safeguards at Proposed Hog Operation
On March 4, Prairie Rivers Network attended a public informational meeting on a proposed hog operation called D&B Farms. The operation would house almost 5,000 hogs in a single building in rural Adams County, which borders the Mississippi River. At the hearing, we raised our concerns that the 8-foot deep waste storage pit underneath the […]
Homer Reverses Course, Sells Water to Coal Mine
Defeat stings; especially when snatched from the jaws of victory. On March 11th, 2013, Prairie Rivers Network and our friends at Stand Up To Coal were saddened that the Homer Village Board reversed its earlier decision, and voted to sell potable water and sewer services to Sunrise Coal – a subsidiary of Hallador Energy – […]
Starved Rock update: Public hearing tonight on sand shipping facility
Last month, we were supremely disappointed in Illinois EPA’s decision to grant a permit that will allow Mississippi Sand, LLC to discharge up to 5-million gallons per day of stormwater and pumpage from a sand pit directly adjacent to Starved Rock State Park. Even after citizens and environmental groups expressed concerns about impacts to on-site […]