Illinois officials are cheering the restoration of millions of dollars in federal grants, which they intend to use to build an electric vehicle charging network along roadways throughout the state.
The funding, disbursed through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, had been withheld by the Trump administration, but Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined 16 other attorneys general to sue the Federal Highway Administration. In June, a judge ordered the administration to release funding appropriated to Illinois and 13 other states, according to a press release.
Following the successful lawsuit, the state announced that $18.4 million would be awarded to build 25 charging stations for electric vehicles along interstate corridors. This is the second round of NEVI disbursements. In total, the state is set to receive $148 million through this program to build out an EV charging network along interstate corridors and smaller locations.
Renewable Energy Magazine said that the charging station project will advance Illinois' goal to have 1 million EVs registered by 2030.
Because EVs produce no tailpipe pollution, they help contribute to cleaner air for communities. Traditional vehicles spew out harmful carbon pollution that has been tied to health problems, including respiratory diseases and cognitive decline.
These same pollutants are also to blame for the overheating of our planet. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, transportation-related pollution accounts for 28% of the country's planet-heating pollution — this makes this sector the worst when it comes to its climate contributions.
NEVI was made possible with the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021.
"Because of the IIJA, more than $18 million is coming to Illinois to support electric vehicle charging stations," U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin stated in Gov. JB Pritzker's press release. "After months of battling the Trump administration's unconscionable freeze of this critical funding, Illinois is finally seeing its fair share of support from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. This funding is a continuation of Illinois state leaders' shared goal to help reduce carbon emissions, ease the transition to clean power sources, and combat the climate crisis."
Pritzker added: "Illinois has been at the forefront of building a clean energy economy that creates jobs and helps lower costs for consumers, and building electric vehicle chargers across the states has been core to that mission. I'm thankful for the quick action of our attorney general in the fight to restore these funds that President Trump was unlawfully withholding."
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