It’s May and the Illinois General Assembly is not in session. That is still wild to me.
Illinois Chamber of Commerce Advocates for Lock Funding
If infrastructure methods were a baseball team, maritime transportation would be the utility player. It may not get all the public accolades, but it’s critical for a thriving system. Illinois is blessed with our extensive waterway system.
To that end, the Illinois Chamber wrote a letter to the entire Illinois Congressional delegation in support of nearly $140 million for NESP (Navigation & Ecosystem Sustainability Program) at LaGrange. This would allow for the construction of a 1200 foot lock.
Here’s a particularly illuminating portion of the letter:
Barges transport products Americans use every day including cement, steel, petroleum and petrochemicals, coal, road salt, and other underpinnings of our economy. Our nation’s inland navigation system provides a key strategic advantage to our manufacturing sector, but the agriculture community relies on locks and dams. Moving America's harvest to world markets, more than 60 percent of exports travel down the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, keeping America’s farmers competitive in the global market.
You can read the full letter HERE.
Electric Vehicle Steering Committee Survey
The EV Steering Committee, of which I am a member, is looking for feedback on charging stations deployment in Illinois. They have a particular interest in the obstacles to charging station construction. Please provide additional insights to the University of Illinois researchers and IDOT by completing this brief survey: https://forms.gle/Vt2rcuzuTrR7Jqxh9.
US Chamber CHIPS Letter
The Illinois Chamber was happy to sign onto the US Chamber’s coalition urging Congress to fund the Creating Helpful Incentives for the Production of Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act and the enhanced Facilitating American-Built Semiconductors (FABS) Act. Click here to read and sign the letter.
You might recall the Illinois General Assembly passed a similar incentive at the state level this spring. That bill is SB 157 which was signed into law late last month.
I-80 Mississippi River Bridge Public Meeting
IDOT, in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Transportation, is conducting a study on the I-80 Mississippi River Bridge. The study includes roughly six miles from the I-88/I-80 interchange in Illinois to SW 35th Steet in Bettendorf, Iowa. The current bridge was built in 1967 and is one of the three major interstate bridges connecting Illinois and Iowa in the Quad Cities. The aging bridge continues to face costly maintenance expenses, does not meet the current standards and creates a hazard to motorists.
A second public meeting will be held May 11 from 4 to 5:30 pm to present study findings to date and receive comment on potential improvement alternatives. It will include a Q & A with Illinois and Iowa transportation officials. You can register at I80MississippiBridge.com
