River Forest will use a $370,000 state grant to add electric vehicle charging stations in three village-owned parking lots.
“The village had applied for a grant through the Driving a Cleaner Illinois EV Charging Infrastructure grant program through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” Seth Jansen, management analyst, said. “The grant was created through the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act that the state passed a few years ago. We are looking to install a total of five dual-port level 2 charging stations and four direct current fast charging stations.”
Jansen cautioned that the project is still in the very early stages.
“Next we will need to put out a request for proposal for the engineering design work needed for the sites, then the actual electrical upgrades will need to be completed prior to installation of the charging stations,” he said.
“The village is consistently looking for new ways to fund initiatives that improve quality of life in our community,” Village President Cathy Adduci said. “EV charging stations continue to be in high demand so we sought and received a grant to fund this amenity that also supports our sustainability efforts. We’re grateful for the partnerships we’ve been able to establish in funding this, and many other improvements and offerings throughout River Forest.”
Driving a Cleaner Illinois is the Illinois EPA’s grant program developed to distribute funding for various types of mobile source electrification projects. The program receives funding from a variety of sources, including the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act; the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust; and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emission Reduction Act Program.
The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act includes provisions to phase out carbon emissions from the energy and transportation sectors. The Illinois EPA is directed to provide funding, consistent with Illinois Commerce Commission-approved Beneficial Electrification Plans, to public and private organizations and companies to install and maintain publicly available Level 2 or Level 3 charging stations. Up to 8 percent of the cost of the installation of charging stations may be funded. Additional awards may incentivize charging infrastructure in eligible communities.
River Forest will receive funding through the second round of Driving a Cleaner Illinois grant program.