CHICAGO – Illinois would have the strictest regulations for high-volume oil and gas drilling in the nation under a proposal introduced Thursday and drafted with help from industry and environmentalists – an unusual collaboration when it comes to a practice intensely scrutinized over claims it can cause pollution and health problems.

The Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act would require oil and gas companies to test water before, during and after drilling, and hold them liable if contamination was found after drilling began. It also would require companies to disclose the chemicals used in the process and control air pollution, as well as provide for public hearings and allow residents to sue if they believed they had been harmed.

Such provisions are uncommon in states where hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," happens, and Illinois would be the first to require so many, environmental and industry officials said.