Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) | Photo Courtesy of Jackie Haas website
Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) | Photo Courtesy of Jackie Haas website
A bill that's causing controversy in a village outside Kankakee over a proposed natural gas pipeline is heading to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
HB3404 would provide funding for a proposed Nicor Gas natural gas pipeline for the village of Hopkins Park in Pembroke Township, according to the bill's language.
"Energy access in this community is long overdue. It's time for Gov. Pritzker to sign House Bill 3404," Rep. Jackie Haas wrote in a Facebook post.
Pipeline supporters tout its potential to spur economic growth, WTTW reported. Mark Hodge, the mayor of the village of Hopkins Park, said the pipeline could bring jobs to the community.
Opponents, however, are concerned about the possibility of negative environmental impact, WTTW reported.
In a Facebook post about the bill, Haas said that one of those opponents, Naomi Davis, founder and president of Blacks in Green, bragged about trying to have the bill pulled from the record so the bill would not have come to a vote.
"Fortunately, that isn't what happened: when given the chance, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle overwhelmingly supported my bill," Haas said.
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