Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) | Photo Courtesy of Jackie Haas website
Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) | Photo Courtesy of Jackie Haas website
Controversy continues to surround a village outside Kankakee as House Bill 3404 heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's desk to be signed.
HB 3404 would create the Pembroke Township Natural Gas Investment Pilot Program Act that would provide funding for the proposed natural gas pipeline in the village of Hopkins Park, a part of Pembroke Township, WTTW reported.
"Energy access in this community is long overdue. It's time for Gov. Pritzker to sign House Bill 3404," Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Bourbonnais) wrote in a Facebook post.
Those in support of HB 3404 and the pipeline believe the addition would bring jobs and growth to the community.
“People in Springfield have recognized that our community has been left behind and they want to modernize our community just like every community around us has been modernized,” Hopkins Park Mayor Mark Hodge said, as reported by WTTW.
Opposition to the pipeline comes from those concerned about the possible environmental impact the gas line may have on what was once the largest black farming communities in the Northern U.S., WTTW reported.
According to WTTW, Naomi Davis, the founder and president of Blacks in Green, said she believes that the idea of the pipeline bringing in jobs and growth is fiction, and other industries need to be brought back to the community to thrive once again.
Alerts Sign-up