Andrew Cunningham l Executive Director, Infrastructure Council l 217-520-2345

EV Charging Network 

On Tuesday, it was announced by the US Department of Transportation that all 50 states have received approval for their electric vehicle charging network.

The approval of the Electric Vehicle Deployment Plans are ahead of schedule under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, established and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, With this approval, all states now have access to all FY22 and FY23 NEVI formula funding, totaling more than $1.5 billion to help build EV chargers covering approximately 75,000 miles of highway across the country.

The NEVI formula funding under the IIJA, which makes $5 billion available over five years, will help build a reliable EV charging network across the country. 

RTA: Chicagoland's Regional transit system breaks pandemic ridership records

Ridership across the regional transit system—comprised of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace Suburban Bus, and overseen by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)—has broken pandemic records, with weekday ridership consistently surpassing the 1 million mark for the first time since March 2020. 

Fast facts: 

• Systemwide ridership hit its high mark on Sept. 14, 2022, at 1,112,520 rides. The top 10 days for systemwide ridership since the start of the pandemic all fall within the past two months. 
• CTA rail ridership hit its high mark on Sept. 16, 2022, at 431,965 rides. All but one of the 10 highest ridership dates for CTA rail have occurred since July 2022. 
• CTA bus ridership hit its high mark on Sept. 7, 2022, at 534,473 rides. All of the 10 highest ridership dates for CTA bus have occurred in the past two months. 
• Metra ridership hit its high mark on July 28, 2022, at 141,016 rides. All of the 10 highest ridership dates for Metra have occurred since July 2022. 
• Pace was the first to hit its high ridership mark on Dec. 16, 2021, at 58,200 rides. Half of the 10 highest ridership dates for Pace have occurred in the past two months.

Learn more here.

Illinois Waterways Update: Message from US Army Corps of Engineers

Two weeks ago, we provided a general update on the status and risks related to the closure schedule, the challenges we are working to overcome, and the status of contract awards. At the time of that communication, we had awarded three supply contracts for long lead time components and the largest of three construction contracts for Dresden Island Lock Rehabilitation. On Friday, 23 Sep 2022, we awarded the second of our construction contracts for the Brandon Road Lock Rehabilitation. Due to the significant increases in costs, we will be unable to award the final construction contract for Marseilles and Starved Rock locks.

We are fully committed to a full 120-day closure in 2023 at Brandon Road, Dresden, and Marseilles. During this closure we will complete all work at Brandon Road and Dresden as well as the electrical crossover work at Marseilles. This plan will allow us to complete all work that requires a full dewatering and closure.

The remaining work at Starved Rock and Marseilles will be deferred to a later date (2+ years) and future planning will be closely coordinated to ensure alignment with industry priorities. This future work will not require an extended closure of the waterway.

USACE remains committed to making decisions that are in the mutual interest of safe and efficient transportation on the Illinois Waterway. 

Very Respectfully,

COL Jesse T. Curry

50^th Commander of the Rock Island District

US Army Corps of Engineers

IDOT Airport of the Year Awards

Six airports have received Airport of the Year awards from the Illinois Department of Transportation. The awards were presented today during the Illinois Public Airports Association Fall Conference in Galena.

The facilities were selected because of their accomplishments, including an outstanding partnership with IDOT and a strong commitment to customer safety and satisfaction. Among the award considerations are cooperation and coordination with the state, safety record, maintenance of the facility, and promotion of aviation and educational events.

The 2022 recipients are:

• Central Illinois Regional Airport - Primary Airport of the Year
• DuPage Airport - Reliever Airport of the Year
• Greater Kankakee Airport - General Aviation Airport of the Year (Runway greater than 5,000 feet)
• Dixon Municipal Airport - General Aviation Airport of the Year (Runway less than 5,000 feet)
• Erie Airpark - Private Airport of the Year
• AbbVie Heliport - Heliport of the Year 

Illinois is home to 100 public-use airports and heliports, with nearly 3,000 aircraft registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. The system of airports supports more than 492,000 jobs, with a combined payroll of $21.9 billion and a total economic impact of $95.4 billion.

Across the state, there are over 700 aviation facilities, including heliports, balloon, glider and ultra-light landing facilities, and grass landing strips. 

IDOT receives award for exemplary procurement practices

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced earlier this week they have received the American Council of Engineering Companies and the National Society of Professional Engineers 2022 Qualifications-Based Selection Award for the State or Local Government Sector. The award recognizes organizations that promote and make exemplary use of QBS methods to procure the professional services of consulting engineers at the federal, state or local level.

QBS is a procurement process that prioritizes experience and technical expertise rather than just the lowest cost bid. Through this process, firms are first assessed on their qualifications by a panel that includes IDOT staff and four qualified members from the public. The top-ranked firm is then contacted for price negotiations, with the goal of reaching a fair and reasonable price. If an agreement is not reached, negotiations shift to the second-ranked firm. 

Read more here

Illinois Chamber Annual Luncheon- Registration and Sponsorships Still Available!  

The Annual Luncheon is the Chamber’s biggest event of the year and will be held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago on October 6th from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. 

The luncheon program is the “Future of Energy and Impact on Illinois: Actions of the Federal Reserve”. Featured speakers include the Chief Sustainability Officer at Boeing, the Vice President of Strategic and Corporate Planning at CITGO and the CEO of LS Power.  We will also hear from Charles Evans, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The agenda also includes our one-hour pre-event reception “All Council Mix & Mingle”. 

The cost of registration is $149.00 for one attendee or $1500 for an 8-seat partner table. The event is always a great time and I hope to see you there!  

Sponsorship of the All Council Mix & Mingle is available for $2,500.00. Benefits of sponsorship are: 

· Two seats for your company at the Annual Luncheon 

· Acknowledgement on signage at pre-event reception, on website, and 

invite for the event 

· Exhibitor space to highlight your company during the pre-event reception. 

View more about the sponsorship levels here.

Thank you to everyone who has already signed up for the event, I am excited to meet many of you for the first time. 

For more information or to register call Andrew Cunningham at (217) 520-2345 or acunningham@ilchamber.org or go to www.ilchamber.org/annual-meeting

Rulemaking 

There was no new proposed rulemaking of note for this Council in the September 30th edition of the Illinois Register.

However, there was adopted rulemaking from the Secretary of State provided below:

SOS adopted amendments to Issuance of Licenses (92 IAC 1030; 46 Ill Reg 6905) effective 9/ 15/22, replacing emergency amendments that were effective 4/ 22/22. The rulemaking makes an exception to SOS eligibility criteria for Temporary Visitors’ Driver’s Licenses (TVDLs). Normally TVDLs are issued only to noncitizens who have been authorized to remain in the U.S. for 1 year or more and have at least 6 months of legal residence remaining. 

This will allow persons in the United States who are citizens of countries, such as Ukraine and Myanmar, that have been designated for Temporary Protected Status by the United States Department of Homeland Security to apply for a visa-status temporary visitor’s driver’s license (TVDL) when the applicant has been admitted to the United States for a period of less than one year. 

Session Update

As a reminder, the General Assembly has released the schedule for veto session. Lawmakers will be back in Springfield Tuesday, November 15 -November 17 as well as November 29-December 1. 

View and download the veto calendar here.

Looking forward, Legislators have been informed to keep their schedules open between January 4th-10th for potential lame duck session dates. We will let you know when those dates are finalized.

Articles of Interest  

Former governor endorses Dan Brady

Sept. 30 declared 'ADM Day' in Decatur

Gov. Pritzker Announces Approval of Vehicle Infrastructure Plan

Collective bargaining amendment brings national labor fight to Illinois ballot

New York State to Ban Sale of Gasoline-Powered Vehicles by 2035