Thank you all for coming today. Welcome to the EV Ready Community Awards Celebration.
If you could grab your seats and silence your phones, we will get started with the festivities. Thank you.
So we're here to celebrate the accomplishments of 17 local governments and becoming EV Ready communities.
My name is Nancy Rotering. I am the mayor of Highland Park and proudly serve as the chair of the executive board of the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus.
We share a strong commitment to improve the vitality of the Chicago region and the lives of nearly 9 million constituents.
Working at the regional level, we pull together to accomplish things that each municipality could not be able to do on its own.
The EV Readiness Program demonstrates this collaborative strength, as you will soon see.
Mayors from the region volunteer their time to lead the caucus.
I'll introduce a few.
Mayor Kevin Burns of Geneva.
Wave, Kevin.
thank you is our immediate past executive board chairman and is the chairman of our environment
and energy committee we will hear more from him in a moment we're also grateful for the service
of mayor katrina thompson of broadview round of applause please who chairs our house and community
development committee as well as president kathy aducey of river forest thank you who leads our
age-friendly communities collaborative. Neal James is at the home as our terrific executive
director. Thank you, Neal, for all that you do. The caucus leans on so many generous and
powerful partners to achieve our objectives. We're grateful to be here at the Illinois
Institute of Technology for this celebration. We're in awe of the cutting-edge work that's
being done here, and we'll have a chance to see their dazzling innovation in technology
and energy technology after lunch. Hope you'll stick around.
I'm pleased to introduce Dr. Raj Eshambadi, the president of Illinois Tech, our generous host and partner for this event.
Please come forward, doctor.
Thank you, Nancy.
Good morning.
That was a very energetic response. Thank you.
Senator Durbin, Mayor Johnson, I was told that there are 275 mayors in the Metropolitan Mayor Caucus,
municipal leaders, and distinguished guests.
Good morning, Nancy Mayer-Rotring.
Thank you for emceeing this and for your leadership.
Welcome to the historic Illinois Tech campus.
I, before starting the usual proceedings
and my welcome remarks,
I thought I will brag about Illinois Institute of Technology.
We call it Illinois Tech.
Just one minor point.
As recently as a month ago, the Carnegie Foundation named us as an opportunity college, one of five STEM colleges nationwide to be designated so.
And we are number one in the state of Illinois for salaries post-graduation.
and our earnings ratio of 1.94, which literally means our graduates earn two times as much as high school seniors,
is also number one in the state of Illinois, and that calls for a deserved applause.
I want to thank my friend Gil Quinones and our longtime partners at Comet,
and to all the sponsors supporting this initiative
and to the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus for organizing this vital initiative.
A recognition to Dr. Mohamed Shahidapur,
who is the director of our Galvin Center for Energy and Electricity Innovation
and associate director for Wanger Institute for Sustainability and Energy Research,
whose groundbreaking work in energy systems you'll hear more about shortly.
and whose vision you will see firsthand.
The EV Readiness Program reflects strongly something we believe in deeply.
It's a great honor to host all of you.
It's also a testament to the fact that local action,
when backed by strong leadership,
is the engine that drives sustainable relationships.
At Illinois Tech, we are proud to contribute to that transformation
in several ways. Through our EcoCar team
where 46 students from engineering, computer science
and across the university are redesigning a
Cadillac lyric for the future of mobility. We are
one of 15 universities nationwide as part of the
U.S. Department of Energy Challenge and it's a perfect example
of how we empower our students by melding the rigor of the
classroom with the relevance of the real world. Through our campus energy systems where innovation
meets infrastructure, we are home to the nation's first operational smart microgrid, a resilient
flexible system that not only provides reliable power to our campus but serves as a test bed for
energy research and student learning. Over the past decade alone, this microgrid has saved us
more than $10 million and prevented countless outages.
And last but not the least, through the tri-generation plant upgrade, you can see now underway just
outside these walls.
When complete, this system will meet more than 95% of our campus' electricity needs,
reduce our carbon emissions by over 40%, all while saving millions of gallons of water
while serving as a teaching lab for the next generation of energy leaders.
We are excited about what is next, including clustering our microgrid with Bronzevilles
to form the first urban microgrid cluster of its kind in the country.
Thank you again for being here.
Congratulations to all of today's awardees.
We are honored to be a part of your journey and thrilled to celebrate this with you.
Thank you again for the opportunity to host you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The City of Chicago is the economic and cultural anchor for our vibrant region.
The caucus was founded in part to foster collaboration between the city and the suburbs.
We're especially grateful to collaborate with the city of Chicago under the leadership of Mayor
Brandon Johnson. Today we're proud to celebrate the power and innovation of Chicago both as our
host city and as a leader on EV readiness. Thank you Mayor Johnson for your friendship and for
joining us today. Would you like to join us? Thank you. Good morning everyone. Thank you Mayor
Rotaring for that introduction, and welcome to Chicago. I'm grateful that we can gather in this
great city to celebrate the shared progress of our communities and the fight to build healthy
and sustainable futures. But I would be remiss if I did not pause just for a moment to recognize
Senator Dick Durbin for his longstanding commitment to the people of this amazing state.
Thank you, Senator. If you can't tell, Senator Durbin is really shy.
But on behalf of the city of Chicago, I'm honored to accept the designation of EV gold.
Electric vehicles are powerful tools for not only reducing climate change,
but also ensuring that all Chicagoans and residents of northeastern Illinois are able to breathe clean and healthy air.
Earlier today, I had the opportunity to see some of the new vehicles used by the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation, including an electric garbage truck and an electric street sweeper, the latter of which was made in Elgin, Illinois.
It is great to see Chicago and our suburban neighbors making these investments today, especially giving the hostility to climate action that we are seeing from the federal government.
Let us be clear. Climate change and air pollution are not going anywhere without climate action.
If some members of Congress and the president would rather accelerate these issues of attempting to deregulate greenhouse gas emissions and diminishing federal resources and leadership,
then it is up to local leaders like those of us in this room and governments to do what we can to drive progress.
Of course, buying electric vehicles is not only the only way in which we can support the transition to healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable transportation systems, but its EV readiness is about local governments doing what they can to clear the road for EV adoption.
The City of Chicago began this work through our Climate Action Plan, which continues to be our North Star to reduce emissions and build resilience while centering equity and community.
The plan set ambitious goals by building an EV charging network, electrifying the taxi and rideshare fleet, and reducing our freight industry's reliance on fossil fuels.
Follow-up plans like the Chicago Moves Electric Framework have helped to flesh out how we can accomplish the goals in the Climate Action Plan and implement projects like EV Ready.
I'm proud of the progress that the City of Chicago has made in supporting electric vehicles.
The city currently owns nearly 300 EVs, and under the leadership of the Department of Fleet and Facility Management, we aim to electrify our entire fleet by 2035.
These purchases, as well as the many plans and policies that we have enacted to support equitable community-wide EV adoption, would not have been possible without the hard work and collaboration of several city departments.
I want to give a special thanks in a moment to congratulate the Departments of Buildings Environment and our Environment Sustainability Chief Officer Commissioner is here, Angela Tovar.
Thank you for your leadership and commitment.
Again, Fleet and Facilities Management, Planning and Development, and Transportation
on their efforts to do this work and do it in a way that emphasizes collaboration
across city government and centers the community's needs.
We are building Chicago's future.
And it is critical that all Chicago be included in that future.
Too often, the communities with the greatest exposure to air pollution do not have access to the tools that can ensure that we have clean air and improve their quality of life.
Chicagoland communities have a collective responsibility to ensure that it is not the case moving forward.
And using our municipal resources to invest in clean transportation, support and development of EV charging infrastructure and support sustainable infrastructure development, all EV ready actions are key to achieving this.
I'm grateful that EV readiness is a regional program, ensuring that all of Chicago land is in this fight together.
We are proud that we are collective members of the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus doing that collaborative work.
Our region's transportation system is certainly complex.
It's an interconnected network.
Its challenges can't be solved by a single community acting alone.
And so we have to have a similar strategy to ensure that it fixes our entire transportation system.
one that is rooted in cooperative, collaborative efforts.
EVs are a critical part of our path forward,
but they are just one component of building a sustainable transportation system.
So finally, as we look ahead, we must double down on sustainable and equitable transportation
by making investments in public transit, sidewalks, bike paths, and other critical infrastructure.
And once again, I am truly grateful that we are all coming together today to celebrate
how far we have come and as well as to acknowledge our commitment to work towards the future.
I'm especially grateful for our region-wide partnerships and collaboration that will
ensure a healthier, more sustainable future within our entire region.
Thank you and spend as much money as you possibly can while you're in Chicago because I have
a $1.2 billion budget deficit.
I'm counting on you all.
Thank you all.
God bless you.
Thank you, Mayor Johnson.
We're all thrilled to welcome Senator Dick Durbin to be with us and to say a few words.
It goes without saying that Senator Durbin is a great statesman and an inspiration to our entire nation.
We're so blessed in Illinois to call him our steadfast, honorable, and gracious representative,
senior senator in the U.S. Senate.
Senator Durbin is a dear friend of mine and has been an invaluable mentor to me.
He's also been a great friend to the caucus and the municipalities that we serve.
When Senator Durbin learned of our plans to create an EV readiness program,
he worked to secure a congressionally directed grant of half a million dollars to support this work.
We are all so grateful to Senator Durbin and that he believed in us.
The communities celebrating EV readiness today and the 21 previously designated EV communities
prove that this idea, this public investment, is a good one.
It's good for Illinois as we work together for a clean electric future,
and I want to just say with all my heart, thank you, Senator Durbin.
Thanks, Nancy. Mayor Johnson, thanks for the kind words.
Did she really say, Senator, in a few words?
Impossible. It's great to be here today.
Have you noticed any change in the weather?
recently. If you haven't, I don't know where you live. But we are in a situation where
each of us can remember a personal experience and put it in the context of what we face
today. As a kid growing up downstate, there was a rite of passage. It was in the summer
months, and it happened two or three times at the most each year, that mom would wake
me up in the middle of the night and say, we're going down to the basement. And I'd
wake up and blurry-eyed and start to hear the tornado warnings outside the sirens that
send us down to the basement.
It was kind of an adventure for a kid to get to sleep in that bed in the basement, in a
cool basement, and to avoid the tornado if you're lucky.
You know what's happened to the number and frequency and severity of tornadoes in my
lifetime?
Dramatic.
dramatic increases.
But that's not the only thing.
Just this week, we've been facing some serious air quality issues here in the city of Chicago.
Not for any of our own wrongdoing, but to reflect Canadian wildfires and wildfires out west
that are moving across the United States in ways I've never seen in my lifetime.
That's part of the reality.
There's more, and each of you has your own story to tell.
So what are we going to do about it?
Well, there's a divided position in Washington on this issue that I want to highlight today.
Yesterday I came home from Washington to Springfield, drove up this morning.
I was glad to get the hell out of Washington, to be honest with you.
It's a maddening situation.
In the last minute yesterday in negotiations with the White House, we restored, listen carefully, I'm talking federal language,
we restored $5 billion in medical research grants that have been cut by this administration.
Excuse my language, but how in the hell can you make a nation great again by cutting medical research, for God's sake,
and all the other scientific research that was associated with it?
to the issue of the day.
We stand here and celebrate Illinois' achievements,
but there is a controversy in Washington
as to whether we're going to be able to wage an all-out war for a brighter future.
The administration recently passed a bill they called the One Big Beautiful Bill,
without the support of a single Democratic member of Congress.
That bill killed the federal tax credits we helped create
throughout the Inflation Reduction Act for new and used electric vehicles.
With the stroke of a pen, the Republicans made nearly every EV in the United States cost $7,500 more.
Now, how does that help a family that's been dreaming of driving one of the EV cars?
Meanwhile, President Trump has worked to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars
in the National Electric Vehicle Charging Program.
These are dollars that could build chargers in your EV-ready towns, but the president thinks they would be a waste of money.
And last week, the Trump administration declared its plan to dismantle what is known as EPA's endangerment finding.
Some of you know what I'm talking about.
Since the year 2009, the EPA has maintained the position that carbon emissions threaten human health because they cause climate change.
It's the basis for the EPA's regulation of vehicle tailpipe emissions.
It may seem obvious today that the climate crisis poses a threat to human health.
Wildfires, as I mentioned, are raging in Canada.
Floods have devastated Texas.
And a record number of tornadoes touched down in our state.
But in eliminating the endangerment finding, the Republicans contend that climate change poses no threat to human health, and the EPA should not regulate the carbon from cars and trucks.
And if EPA does not regulate emissions, that's one less reason for automakers to move to electric vehicles.
That means fewer options and higher prices for anyone who wants an EV.
Why are the Republicans doing this?
Why is the president doing it? I can't explain for sure.
But during last year's election, then-candidate Trump invited a group of big oil executives to Mar-a-Lago.
He asked them for a billion dollars for his campaign.
We don't know exactly whether they gave those contributions, but they're getting their money's worth out of this president.
At every turn, this Drill Baby Drill administration and Republicans in Congress have worked to undermine wind power, solar power, and electric vehicles, all of this to make sure America keeps buying oil-based products.
It is unconscionable.
But the good news is that there's hope, and we're looking right at it.
When the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus approached my office about this readiness program, I was glad to lend my support and secure $500,000.
That investment is paying off.
Today, we celebrate 17 municipalities who understand that electric vehicles are the future and are helping prepare their communities to thrive in that future.
The United States is on track to install more than 16,000 new EV chargers this year,
a 20% increase over last year.
If price is the number one deterrent for purchasing an EV, the second is range anxiety.
which is a fear of running out of power far from a charging station.
But at the rate companies are installing these chargers, range anxiety will soon be a thing of the past.
And thanks to the EV readiness program, those companies are looking at placing these EV chargers in places like Broadview, DeKalb, Rockford, and, of course, Chicago.
They are seeing communities and leaders ready to lead the way in the future of transportation.
While the picture at the federal level may look challenging, and it is, I will continue fighting to make EVs cheaper and chargers accessible.
I know you're going to do the same.
I've announced that I won't be running for re-election, but I have a little over a year in this office to dedicate myself to several things that are important, I think, for the long run.
The first is to make sure that we honor credible science at every step of the way.
And the second is to make sure that my little six-year-old granddaughter has a planet that she can expect to live on comfortably and safely for years to come.
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much, Senator Durbin.
ComEd has been with us from the very beginning of EV readiness and in every step of the way.
The ComEd team is here in full force to celebrate today.
Thank you all for being with us and for supporting our work.
Under the leadership of President and CEO Gil Kanonis,
ComEd has crafted a nationally recognized beneficial electrification plan
that integrates transportation electrification into grid resilience.
This plan earned ComEd a Drive Elect Award from Plugin America last year.
They're the only energy company to win this prestigious award.
ComEd recognizes the value of local governments as partners in achieving this plan and generously supports our EV readiness program.
Thank you. Please come join us.
Thank you very much, Mayor, and again, thank you very much, Senator Durbin, for your distinguished and honorable service to our state and to our nation.
I'm Gil Quinones. I'm the president and CEO of ComEd.
The EV readiness training program gives communities in our region a roadmap for sporting the transition to a cleaner, more electrified future for transportation.
And today we celebrate the third cohort, 17 forward-looking local governments and communities who have recently completed the program.
Close to 40 municipalities have now gone through EV readiness training and have developed their own EV playbooks.
It wouldn't be possible without our municipal and industry partners here today.
As I had mentioned, Senator Dick Durbin, Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago, Mayor Rotaring, Mayor Burns, City of Geneva, Mayor Sanoika, City of Rolling Meadows, Mayor Andrew Johnson, City of Warrenville, Mayor Thompson, Village of Broadview, Mayor Woods, Village of Park Forest, President Adduce, Village of River Forest, and President Roth, Village of River Forest.
of Streamwood. I also want to give a big thanks to the MMC staff and our own very own ComEd team,
our EV team, and our government and external affairs team, who have worked so hard to make
this program such a smashing success. By participating in this program, communities
are building a foundation for more seamless development of EV charging infrastructure,
increased safety, and more equitable access to the benefits of electric transportation.
That last point is crucial.
Every member of our community deserves an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of EV.
This was one of the main reasons we at ComEd joined with the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus in 2022 to launch this program.
And it's more important today than ever before, given the uncertainty of the federal funding, as Senator Durbin mentioned, and programs that support EV adoption and infrastructure.
That uncertainty, however,
is not an excuse for falling short of the bold ambitions that Governor J.B. Pritzker
and the state legislature set forth as part of the state's Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
Because by 2030, we're aiming to have one million electric vehicles on Illinois' road.
And I understand that's a big number.
But I also believe we can do it, because I see the enthusiasm municipal and community leaders have for this issue.
And I know that people who live in this region take pride in being a national leader on adopting clean energy technologies.
To my friends in the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus, your continued commitment to supporting your communities, residents, and local businesses as they navigate an EV future is absolutely critical.
In particular, I want to recognize the leadership of Mayor Nancy Rotering, Mayor Kevin Burns, Neil James, Edith Markra, Cheryl Scott.
Never, ever forget that you have a strong partner at ComEd.
We will continue to invest in promoting EV adoption with the support and guidance from the Illinois Commerce Commission.
I want to recognize Commissioner Stacey Paradis, who is here representing the Illinois Commerce Commission.
None of these programs that we administer and we partner with local governments can happen without their guidance and support.
So this year, we rolled out another $100 million in rebates for charging infrastructure and fleet purchase.
The vast majority of that funding is for public sector and commercial customers, with a focus on projects in equity investment-eligible communities.
We also continue to offer fleet electrification assessments to help businesses plan for the cost of transition and develop a tailored roadmap to support the conversion of their fleets.
The clean energy transformation is well underway in Illinois.
The Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus, ComEd, and local government leaders here today are part of the coalition that is making that happen.
Let's continue to work together on building a cleaner, more equitable, more electrified future in northern Illinois.
Thank you very much.
And now you would come back and introduce our next speaker.
Thank you so much, Gil.
With ComEd and our many valuable partners, we work to build capacity in communities to make Illinois a leader in electrical vehicle adoption.
We do this in support of Governor Pritzker's ambitious goal of having a million electric vehicles on the road in Illinois by 2030.
Let's go.
We're pleased to welcome Megha Lakshara, the Illinois State EV Officer, to say a few words on behalf of Governor Pritzker. Welcome.
Good morning, everyone, and I'm super grateful to be here.
Under Governor Pritzker, the state of Illinois is proud to be a national leader in the electrification of the transportation sector.
Thanks to funding from the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, we have already supported the development of more than 450 charging locations across Illinois, including 2,000 fast chargers, and we did it all in the last three years.
This rapidly growing EV network will give drivers the confidence to travel across the state, making electric vehicles a practical and reliable choice for everyone.
Illinois was one of the 16 states that took legal action against the Trump administration's attempt to halt funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program.
We successfully recovered a significant portion of the funds owed to us, resources that will at a minimum help us build EV charging stations every 50 miles along our interstates, and then we're going to go to our highways.
equity remains at the heart of our efforts. Over the past three years, Illinois has issued
EV rebates to more than 11,300 EV buyers, with nearly 20% of these rebates going to low-income residents.
This reflects our firm commitment to making clean transportation accessible to all.
Our vision goes beyond passenger vehicles.
We're also invested in the medium and heavy-duty sectors.
I'm so proud of Illinois state agencies.
We have won several major – we have competed and won several major federal grants through programs that Senator Turbin helped create,
like CFI, Clean Ports, Climate and Pollution Reduction Grant, and Clean Trucks.
All of these are critical tools for funding the infrastructure that we need to forward this movement.
Just recently, we launched our $95 million Clean Ports Program, working in close partnership with port operators to fund zero-emission equipment and infrastructure upgrades.
In July, we awarded more than $13 million in grants to support 46 all-new electric school buses,
getting our children to school more safely while reducing pollution in our communities.
And recognizing Illinois, and especially Chicago, as a major North American fraud,
we will be launching again, funded by a federal grant, our Clean Trucks program by the end of this year.
Illinois is not just preparing for a cleaner future.
We're building it. And, you know, despite all of the halt in momentum that we've seen with electric vehicle adoption, we are at close to 150,000 battery electric vehicles, not counting the plug-ins at the moment.
And I'm happy to report that we saw our highest growth in electric vehicles in May this year.
So things are moving forward. They are moving ahead. They might have slowed down a bit, but, you know, EVs are here to stay. Thank you.
Thank you, Megha. I also want to acknowledge the important role of the Illinois Commerce Commission in keeping Illinois safe and energized. The ICC reviews and approves the Beneficial Electrification Plan, which authorizes the work of the EV Readiness Program. Thank you, Commissioner Stacey Paradis, for joining us today.
Mayor Kevin Burns of Geneva has been instrumental in shaping the EV Readiness Program as chairman of the Environment and Energy Committee of the Mayor's Caucus.
The City of Geneva also earned EV Ready Bronze in the first cohort, so he knows the program well.
I'm delighted to invite Mayor Burns to tell us about the EV Readiness Program and the team that makes it work.
Hello, everybody. Senator, good morning, and thank you for your support.
a brief story. Twelve years ago, I had some extra airline
tickets. I flew to D.C. to hang out for the weekend.
I'm walking around, and your staff invited me into your office to sit with you
and just kibitz. And you said, what do you want to do
when you get older? And I said, I wouldn't mind being the mayor. You said, think again.
But it was a lovely conversation. You've always been accessible.
You've always been supportive. You've always been friendly, and I am eternally grateful. Thank you.
You also waived my parking fine, so thank you very much for that.
I have the honor of recognizing the communities, recognizing our sponsors,
and celebrating with all of you the extraordinary success we've had,
one of very few regions in the country that have accomplished so much in such little time.
I'm going to begin with a quick roll call of our sponsors.
and they all deserve applause,
but we're going to wait until the very end
so we can applaud them together.
The Galvin Center here at Illinois Tech.
Arcadis.
Battle Motors.
You saw one of their trucks outside,
that electric refuse truck.
Carbon Day.
Why do I feel like Ronald Reagan?
What am I doing here?
Thank you, Nancy.
Christopher Burke Engineering.
Dominion, Mayor Johnson mentioned the Elgin Sweeper in Elgin, Illinois.
EV Energy, Highland Fleet, Powering Chicago, Power Forward DuPage, and Arnau.
And of course, a huge thank you to my friend Gil, who's snapping my picture, from our friends at ComEd.
Thank you, Gil. Thank you all the sponsors. We appreciate it very much.
As a reference, some of our sponsors brought some pretty cool vehicles that are parked here on Federal Street right behind me.
So please check them out, take them home.
If you like them, make an order, okay?
I think we're offering 40% off of all vehicles today.
That's what I was told by the president of Illinois Tech.
You can get to know the sponsors, of course, and the products by hanging out there,
meeting with them here in the hallway.
We encourage you to do so.
The EV Readiness Program convenes experts in the EV industry to train and support EV-ready communities.
We are grateful to the Illinois Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, IBEW.
They have helped all our communities build safe, effective EV charging infrastructure in all of our communities.
It's my pleasure to invite my good friend Bob Hattier to join me.
He's the Director of Renewable Energy at IBEW Local 134.
And Karen Charvat, Executive Director of Power Forward DuPage,
to come forward and accept an award.
And also with us today, a surprise but a delightful one indeed,
is the Executive Director of Powering Chicago, my friend, Albert Walters.
So, Albert, we have tickets for you to next year's Lollapalooza.
But no expenses have been spared on these certificates.
Yes, we are.
Yes, we are.
Thank you so much.
What the hell did I say?
You know what's fun about inviting people up here who really don't care less about you is they tell you what you did wrong.
No, I'm teasing.
I'm teasing.
I said Illinois Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
It should be international.
So forgive me for that.
I am terribly, terribly sorry.
I would resign my position effective immediately.
No such.
Yeah.
We've had a lot of other smart people, as all of you know,
to advise us in the creation of the EV Readiness Checklist,
the foundation of the EV Readiness Program.
We convened a world-class team of 75 experts
as the EV Readiness Committee who helped build this checklist
that committees use to become the illustrious EV
readiness that they seek. We are delighted that many members of the advisory committee are here
with us today. They continue to stay in touch with us. They continue to advise us. They continue to
provide insight and experience to help us do perhaps an even better job at helping build
communities to be EV ready. Our friend Samantha Bingham, Chicago Department of Transportation.
Kevin Campbell of the Chicago Department of Fleet and Facility
my friend Karen Sharvat from Power
I forgot to say that, didn't I? From Power Forward
DuPage. Yay, Karen.
Brian Daly from Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability
Martha Dooley, who if you don't know, you should
Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus Senior Advisor
how's that? And retired extraordinary from the city of Schaumburg. That is a
promotion with no pay. Robert Hottier, who I recognized earlier from the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Anne-Marie Kowalik from CPACE.
Carrie Malfeo, my friend from the village of Park Forest.
I heard, like, a slight applause there, then it stopped.
What happened there?
It's like Mary Ann Mintz from Argonne National Laboratory.
Gail Paul, city of Countryside.
And one of the coolest dudes in town, Phil Roy from ComEd.
As all of you know, and forgive me for repeating myself,
but EV readiness is a robust program that guides municipalities and counties
to update policies and programs that encourage the development of safe, smart, and accessible
EV charging infrastructure.
The program also builds technical skills and capacities across local governments and supports
transition to electric fleets.
Our EV readiness program is the first such program in the country to support and recognize
municipalities for taking strategic action along a prioritized pathway and documenting
their work. The EV Readiness team leads the program, and it's my pleasure to recognize
my colleagues who do such extraordinary work day in and day out. Cheryl Scott of the Metropolitan
Mayors Caucus. I referenced earlier our subject matter expert, Martha Dooley. And this next guy,
I want you to recognize the tie he is wearing.
His name is Tim Milburn.
He is wearing a Milburn Electric Car Company tie that once existed.
He is the heir to the entire Milburn Electric Car Company fortune.
He's worth an estimated $16.
The microphone is yours.
Thanks, Mayor Burns.
We'll just give you a brief overview of the program for those who aren't familiar with it.
The purpose of the EV Readiness Program is to make EVs and EV charging more efficient,
affordable, and accessible for your residents and businesses.
Another purpose is to mitigate climate change by reducing emissions from transportation,
which is a consensus goal in our Greenest Region Compact Sustainability Pledge and Climate
Action Plan for the Chicago region.
The program also leverages the unique authorities and strengths of local governments who can
help expedite the adoption of this technology through processes such as zoning or permitting.
Once communities are in the program, they can decide whether they'd like to earn bronze,
silver, or gold. Every community starts by making a formal commitment with a letter which states
that they'll work with us in the program and dedicate staff time to completing actions in
the EV readiness checklist. Bronze actions are the most fundamental items which everyone in the
program needs to complete. Additionally, local governments must earn 30 flex points of their
choice. The flex points are important actions that suit the community's needs, but not all
these actions are relevant to every community in the program. To earn silver, communities must
complete all the bronze actions, 24 silver actions, and 30 flex points of their choosing.
As our team will discuss, communities can earn many of these silver points from completing a
fleet assessment or an EV readiness municipal web page.
To earn gold, which is the most challenging,
communities must complete all of the bronze, silver, and gold
actions in the checklist, as well as 20 flex points.
Communities can also level up, which
means they may earn bronze in one cohort and then come back
again to earn silver or gold in a later cohort.
In this slide, you can see the 12 categories in our EV readiness
checklist, and they've been carefully thought out. We completed the development of the checklist
over a two-year period by holding 17 listening sessions with experts in communities. We also
received input from 75 advisors on our EV readiness advisory committee before we finalized the
checklist. The categories include areas that local governments can influence with their unique
authorities and strengths. And now Martha Julie will tell you more about what communities in the
program have specifically done to earn EV Readiness designation.
Good morning, everyone.
It's been a pleasure working with all the communities here
as I reviewed their documentation for their designations.
So one of the major things that we do in the bronze category
is to review the zoning codes and identify barriers
to EV and EV charging.
Then we like to classify or have all the communities classify
EV charging stations.
as approved by right to ease their approval through the process,
meaning they would only then have to achieve a permit if required to build those.
We do have flex requirements for parking to accommodate EV charging equipment,
and additional silver points can be earned if they challenge themselves
and go a little bit further in their zoning code amendments.
Also, to achieve bronze, they would need to create clear and accessible code-compliant
permitting and inspection processes for EV charging.
The example here is from Brookfield, and they did a fabulous job on their guidebook that
they give out to contractors and residents.
Then also to achieve bronze, we like the community to engage their residents and contractors
and things like that, and provide EV owner information, permit information, some of the
benefits of electric vehicles, which include the climate as well as other, and then also provide
buying information for the new EV owners and direct them to the incentives that are available
for the electric vehicles. We also supply some safety information, and then a lot of the
communities post on their website their EV charging locations and information
about the EV chargers. Then last but not least I think for me is the training
that the caucus offers free of charge for first responders and inspectors on
EVs and EV charging stations. Those things are all included in the bronze
category. Then moving up into the silver category one of the main things in this
is to do a fleet assessment of your municipal fleet,
hopefully helping you to transition from gas-powered engines to electric vehicles.
And you can see in the list here all the things that are included in that fleet assessment,
which is done by ComEd and who have aligned their program along with the caucus's EV Ready program.
So, Tim.
Tim Milburn, first of all, I want to say I'm really excited to be here.
I'm an alumni.
It's nice to come back and see something from years ago.
Anyways, I wanted to add a little bit of something on this particular slide, which is moving into silver,
in that we've been working for last year with ComEd to align their free program.
So if all these communities were able to take advantage of this for free,
and basically what it did is fulfill the requirements for our checklist for the silver.
So it was a really good collaborative way of going forward.
And again, all these things, the business, the charging, and emissions.
And then the next level up that three of our communities today are going to be awarded for is gold, logical,
but basically it's another level of commitments, another level of detail,
and you're basically going another level on the fleet electrification,
some of the things with the safety of the first responders, permitting inspection, and metrics.
And last slide.
So we did a look at the EV charging, or sorry, EVs, EV counts, at the beginning of the program about a year ago until this, or last month.
And this basically shows that we had, you know, most of the communities were higher than the state average, which is sitting down at the bottom.
So we feel like we're, the communities are contributing and raising the awareness in their own communities, and hopefully that's why people are adopting EVs.
And with that, I will hand it back over to the mayors.
Thank you.
Okay, folks, we are now at the point to award our communities the designation they so deserve as EV-ready communities.
Gil Quinones, the CEO of ComEd, is going to join me.
Mayor Rotaring as well.
We're going to invite those communities to join us.
There is a stand-up microphone here.
Each community will have one member, if they so choose, to say a few words.
It says here each community has 30 minutes to speak.
So without further ado, and I will be jumping on and off the stage, not unlike Ann-Margaret,
but safely for the older people in the audience.
Got that, Mayor?
No, I just wondered if you got it.
All set, folks?
My colleague, Edith Macra, the Director of Environmental Initiatives at the caucus,
will be reading the awardees.
Good morning, everyone. Again, I'm Edith Mackra. I am the Environment Director for the Metropolitan
Mayor's Caucus, and we are positively thrilled to have you here and begin the awards ceremony.
So I ask, are we ready for the awards? Okay. I was going to say just the EV-ready communities,
but you all answered so well. So we don't need to do that. Let's get started with the awards.
So our first community to be recognized, the village of Broadview.
The village of Broadview is recognized as our first EV-ready community in the bronze category.
The village earned 135 points.
They're also recognized with a special recognition award for equitable EV charging.
The village waives the EV charger permit fees for one- and two-family residential installations,
making EV charging more accessible in the village.
They are also recognized for the largest percentage increase in EV registrations.
In Broadview, they saw a 50% increase in the number of EV registrations in the village during the cohort period.
On behalf of Mayor Katrina Thompson and the village of Broadview, we want to say that we are honored.
and greatly appreciative of, first off, the invite to be part of the third cohort here for the EV readiness.
My name is Matthew Ames. I'm the director of public works.
The mayor tasked me and my administrative assistant to make sure that we get this certification.
So I think we've made her proud, and I think we've accomplished that task.
But I will say that none of it would have been possible without the support that we received,
most certainly Martha, Edith, Tim,
Cheryl. At the time we began
the cohort, I had went into surgery, had ankle surgery,
so the patience that you all extended
to us was not overlooked.
So thank you once again on behalf of the Village of Broadview.
We look forward to trying to bump up to silver
or gold in the future.
We'll welcome you back. Congratulations, Broadview.
Next up is the Village of Brookfield.
The Village of Brookfield earned EV Ready Bronze designation with 147 points.
We also want to give the village special recognition for their permitting process.
They developed a comprehensive permit form and top-notch permitting and inspection guide,
which has handsome graphics making it easy for permit applicants to use.
Trustee Klusney?
Thank you so much, Edith, and thank you so much, ComEd and all of the event sponsors.
My name is Katie Klusney.
I'm a trustee with the Village of Brookfield.
I'm so happy to be here to accept this on behalf of the Village.
I want to thank the Mayor's Caucus, Edith and Cheryl, for developing amazing partnerships, initiatives,
and best practice templates for communities to advance sustainability initiatives by providing support and guidance.
Thank you to Mayor Burns for his leadership,
an amazing ability to create inviting and inclusive space for everyone to share best practices.
I want to thank the Brookfield Conservation Commission for undertaking a huge volunteer effort,
writing a comprehensive sustainability plan to help focus our efforts and track our progress
using the Mayor's Caucus Sustainability Framework.
And I want to thank my fellow village board members and President Michael Garvey
for their leadership and support of our endeavors.
And finally, I want to thank the Brookfield Community Development staff
Zander, Dee, and Libby for all of their time and expertise to implement the sustainability
goals of the board and bring forward opportunities like this to work forward and achieve new
goals at the village.
And we're excited to be installing our first seven EV stations in Brookfield and are looking
forward to build on the Bronze Exhibit Nation and hopefully you'll see us again with silver
and gold.
Thanks very much.
Congratulations, Brookfield.
Next up is the City of Countryside.
Brookfield earned 123 points to earn the EV Ready Bronze designation.
We also want to acknowledge the City of Countryside with special recognition for their innovative EV infrastructure.
Countryside built the first municipal net-zero energy building in Illinois.
Their municipal complex is powered by 466 solar panels on carports, 169 panels on the rooftop,
and, of course, it has EV charging.
okay thank you edith on behalf of mayor sean mcdermott and our sustainability committee
we're honored to accept the bronze designation of i want to thank our staff rich tron our planning
manager and kevin wagner our building official as well as janice bodenay who couldn't attend today
who were instrumental in streamlining our application process for EV chargers and our inspection process.
Since we've done that, I'm happy to say we have applications for 14 additional chargers in Countryside.
And we want to thank ComEd, who sponsored several of those.
So thank you very much.
Thank you. Congratulations, Countryside.
Next up, we're very proud to recognize the City of DeKalb as an EV-ready bronze community.
The City of DeKalb earned 128 points to earn the bronze designation,
and it doesn't take much to make us happy, so we celebrate the City of DeKalb for picture-perfect documentation.
They provided exceptional content in every document submitted and adhered to the labeling standards,
which makes our documentation consultant, Martha, very happy.
So thank you.
I'm an old radio guy, so just one minute.
Thank you.
I do everything on scripts.
But on behalf of Mayor Barnes, the City of DeKalb is very proud to receive these honors.
Now, the City of DeKalb is one of the municipalities further west in the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus
in the ED Ready footprint.
However, even though we have a cord between us and our neighboring towns,
we do have some EV credentials. We're the only municipality in DeKalb County to offer free EV
charging in our downtown, thanks in large part to a generous grant from ComEd and the caucus.
Our first 30-foot hybrid electric bus is on the way, and we're planning a new transit center
with the right infrastructure so we can one day have an all-electric bus fleet.
But the program has helped us extend our lead as the sustainability leaders in DeKalb
County for the first time ever. Our unified development ordinance contains the phrase
electrical vehicle. Our fire department attended their first electric vehicle training, and
our website is filled with relevant information for electric vehicle owners. DeKalb is very
proud to help extend the EV readiness footprint to the west. So again, thank you to the caucus
and comment. Congratulations at DeKalb. Next up is the village of Glenview. Glenview earned 119
points. We also want to recognize the village of Glenview for pioneering permitting process
with special recognition. The village waives permit fees for all EV charging stations,
both residential and non-residential, and created a unique permit type that allows them to track
the number of EV charging stations installed over time we love this because it will also help us
report the outcomes of the EV readiness program over time as well
all right thank you very much everyone we're very happy to taking part in this
first just to thank the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus for allowing Glenview to take part in this
third cohort and also specifically to Edith Martha Tim and Cheryl for guiding us along
the way we certainly couldn't have done it with all of your help
And we're very excited to play our part moving forward in creating a cleaner, healthier future for our region.
Congratulations to Glenview.
Next up is the City of Highland Park.
Thank you for that joyful walk-up.
We work hard on the music.
We want to see it work out.
So congratulations to the City of Highland Park for earning EV Readiness Bronze,
and they earned a whopping 218 points.
Remember, 200 silver or leather qualifications there.
So they're well on their way, but they get special recognition for being first over the finish line,
very first in the cohort to finish the program.
We also want to give a shout-out to the city of Highland Park for a very progressive EV procurement policy.
So the environmentally friendly vehicles policy directs the city to replace administrative, inspector,
and police vehicles with hybrid or electric vehicles.
And one more special recognition, the City of Highland Park has the highest per capita EV ownership.
If you create a culture that supports electric vehicles like Highland Park does, more people are likely to purchase them.
New EVs were registered in the city during the cohort period at the blazing rate of about $33 per month.
Congratulations to Highland Park.
Council Member Bloomberg.
Thank you.
I'm Council Member Bloomberg.
I have the honor of working with Mayor Rotaring, and her leadership has been very important.
I also want to give a specific shout-out to my former colleague, Kim Stone,
who is largely responsible for the EV replacement of our municipal vehicle program
and for so much of our sustainability practices in Highland Park.
On behalf of the City of Highland Park, thank you very much for recognizing us as a bronze EV-ready community.
We are thrilled to join other communities in celebrating our commitment to facilitating sustainable public and private transit modalities.
Highland Park has identified environmental sustainability as one of our six core priorities.
And increasing public infrastructure to support increased electric vehicle adoption throughout our community is an important part of our sustainability plan.
Encouraging installation of charging stations, both public and privately owned,
throughout our business district makes it easier for Highland Parkers and visitors alike
to adopt and enjoy their electric vehicles.
Our continued commitment to actively pursue policies that promote installation of private charging options
likewise removes obstacles that may discourage residents for selecting EVs as their primary mode of transportation.
Pursuing continued electrification of the city's public service vehicle fleet is also a priority, as you've heard.
From purchasing electric vehicles for inspectors and other staff to use,
to investing in the increased capabilities of electric and or hybrid vehicles and heavy-duty machinery,
Highland Park is working to lead the way on sustainable public service vehicles.
Just this year, hybrid snowplows have joined the Public Works Department
entering service alongside electric buses.
To build on this success, we are developing a plan to reduce vehicle emissions from the city's fleet
and promote a zero-emissions vehicle purchasing strategy, wherever practical.
This recognition is greatly appreciated and reinforces that we are on the right path
towards a more sustainable future for the city vehicle fleet
and our community's overall adoption of electric vehicles.
We look forward to continuing this work and learning more from the experience of other communities as well.
Thank you.
Congratulations, Highland Park.
The next village up is Johnsburg.
Don't expect anyone to walk up, but we're going to play the music because it's fun.
So Johnsburg is a small community in McHenry County with just a population under 6,400.
The small staff was not able to be here today, so we're very sorry to miss them.
But the tiny team in the small village was very committed to participate in the program
and really worked hard to earn the bronze designation,
proving that really EV readiness is accessible to communities of all sizes.
We celebrate them anyway.
Take them back there.
Oh, they are Lindenhurst.
My apologies.
Okay, I don't want to blow the surprise there.
Lindenhurst is our next EV Ready Bronze community.
Congratulations to Lindenhurst for earning EV Ready Bronze with 130 points,
and they are specially recognized for dependable documentation.
Again, it doesn't take much to make us happy when we're working to get you all over the finish line.
Lindenhurst stood out as the community that consistently submitted their
documentation closest to the deadline throughout the cohort time period. We
are in awe of your project management skills. On behalf of the village of
Lindenhurst, we're proud to be recognized as a bronze designation in the EV
readiness program. While we're still pretty early in our EV journey, we're
excited to be named an EV ready community so we can continue this work
going forward. We're grateful to ComEd and the Metro mayors for guiding this throughout this
program, and we're excited to continue this. Thank you. Congratulations, Lyndon Hurst. Next up is Park
Forest. Park Forest earned EV Ready Bronze designation with a very impressive 213 points,
and we're giving them a vehicle sticker shout out as our special recognition. Park Forest has a very
created a program that waives municipal sticker fees for EVs and publicizes it on their EV web page,
which leads to our next special recognition for them, which is for a wonderful web page.
Park Forest stood out as the only community to include instructions for using their EV charging stations
on their EV web page. The page also has a dashboard that shows the greenhouse gas emissions
saved since 2015 by users of the village's EV charging stations, which is also powered by 100%
renewable wind energy. Thank you, Metropolitan's Mayors, Caucus, and Comet. We couldn't have done
it without you. And on behalf of Mayor Woods, we are proud to share how the EV readiness program
has been a game changer for our community. As a village committed to sustainability,
we long recognized that transportation electrification is critical to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The EV readiness program helped us assess our infrastructure,
identify key locations for future EV chargers,
and navigate the permitting and zoning updates needed to move forward.
Through this program, we built capacity, engaged our residents,
and started the process of creating an EV roadmap that supports both equity and access,
especially for those of our multifamily housing.
Expanding EV access helps us meet our climate goals
and create a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone.
We're excited to keep this momentum going
and serve as a model for other communities
and possibly level up.
Thank you very much.
Congratulations, Park Forest.
Next up is the City of Rockford.
So the City of Rockford earns EV Ready Bronze designation
with 125 points, they also earn our special recognition award, Last Inning Legend.
So Colin Bell was brought into the program in February when a staff issue arose for those
working on the project.
With Colin's work, the city was able to achieve bronze designation in just three months.
Nothing short of amazing there.
Rockford also gets special recognition for using EVs in driver's ed.
So two Rockford high schools participate in ComEd's EVs for Education grant
to offset costs for an EV in an EV charging station for their driver's ed programs.
Training new drivers to use EVs helps create demand for EVs in the future.
Colin?
Thank you.
On behalf of the City of Rockford, Mayor Tom McNamara would like to accept this bronze EV-ready award.
This milestone reflects our local efforts, like expanding EV charging stations at public facilities,
updating our zoning to support EV infrastructure,
and looking at possibly pursuing clean fleet transitions in our public's works department.
We're committed to creating a more sustainable and resilient Rockford,
and this recognition reinforces that we are on the correct path.
I would like to make one note that we did recently receive a grant for the Rockford Mass Transit District through IDOT
for Rebuild Illinois Capital Grant Program for $40 million.
That will be going toward new facilities downtown, charging infrastructures, and supporting our electric bus fleet that we currently have.
We currently have 21 electric buses, 6 battery, and 15 hybrids.
The remainder of those monies from the grant will be used to fully electrify our fleet by 2036 and possibly even earlier.
So again, thank you to the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, all of our event sponsors,
and our regional partners for helping us drive toward a more sustainable future together.
So Colin, if the city comes back for silver, you'll get points for that big grant and fleet electrification.
So stick with us.
Next up is the village of Streamwood.
Streamwood earned a very impressive 230 points to earn EV Ready Bronze designation.
We also wanted to give them special recognition for being a top-notch training host.
Streamwood hosted our first responder training for this cohort at their beautiful fire station,
which you actually saw in the slides.
So to make the classroom training even richer, Streamwood worked with local car dealers
who were able to provide several different models of EVs
to help their first responders get hands-on experience with different models.
I want to thank the EV caucus.
This was very beneficial.
This was a goal of the village to become EV ready,
so this was perfect timing for us.
With this certification, we're actually pursuing some chargers
at our own municipal facility,
as well as since we've received the certification,
we've had several businesses pursuing EV chargers.
Actually, Walmart is about to launch a big initiative for us.
I thank our elected officials for the support for this.
They've been very supportive, encouraging.
Thank you.
Next village up is Vernon Hills.
Vernon Hills earned 218 points, again, moving towards silver there.
And we also want to give the Village of Vernon Hills a special recognition for their shared parking policy.
Vernon Hills has a leading EV parking policy that establishes guidelines for the use of the EV charging stations at Village Hall by both employees and staff.
The policy ensures fair and efficient use of these resources and access for all.
Thank you.
On behalf of our mayor, Tom Cook, and our village board, we wanted to thank the mayor's caucus.
This initiative lines perfectly with our community's sustainability goals.
It also came in an ideal time, because over the course of this project this past year,
the Village purchased their first EV fleet vehicle,
as well as installed our first electric vehicle charging station, our Village Hall.
So thank you again.
Congratulations.
And again, you could get points for that.
So the last in the bronze category, but not least, is the city of Warrenville.
Warrenville earned 174 points to earn the EV Ready Bronze designation.
We also want to give them special recognition for participation in the first responder training.
As Martha told you, all communities are required to attend the first responder training,
and Warrenville showed out in force with 16 participants for the training program.
So Warrenville is certainly a safe place to drive an EV.
I live right next door.
I'll make sure that I'm there.
So congratulations.
There's one other special recognition, and that's for permitting prowess.
This is very impressive, too.
Warrenville has a fully online permitting process,
and their EV online permit requires inclusive information.
The process is easy to follow, and their fees are very reasonable at $75 per charging station.
Mayor?
All right.
Well, thank you very much.
as the other Mayor Johnson that's here today.
I welcome you all to this fantastic event.
Congratulations to everybody here.
David and Michelle did the lion's share of the work,
obviously, with some other staff back at the city.
I was elected three months ago, so I'm really
happy to be accepting anything here at this point of time.
I had really nothing to do with it.
But I would just encourage everyone here,
since it seems like such a collegial group and collaborative
and everybody wants to share the ideas,
Everybody wants to get to the same points.
Make sure when you get home, you take these little trinkets
and you make some hay with your staff.
Make sure you do the recognition back home,
just like we're doing here.
So thank you very much to the caucus,
the comment, to everyone who sponsored this.
We certainly appreciate it.
And silver is next after bronze, right?
So look forward to that.
Thank you very much.
Okay, congratulations to all the bronze communities,
and we are really proud to recognize DuPage County as silver.
So DuPage County earned 215 points, and they are the first county in the EV Readiness Program to level up.
As Cheryl explained, that means they were bronze designees in the last cohort,
and they're back to earn silver, and we're glad to have them.
We also want to give the county special recognition for the special recognition award is permitting persistence.
They were good-natured and persistent in collaborating with many, many departments
and many fire protection districts throughout the county to develop an effective EV charging permit process.
Good morning, everybody.
Thank you to my staff and sponsors and the caucus and ComEd for keeping your foot on the pedal
and pushing the region to a cleaner, well, the cleanest mode of transportation.
station. I'm so proud that DuPage has made the jump to silver. This comprehensive look
at what it takes to truly convert to a new fuel has been an eye-opening experience for
us. It has propelled our future fleet transition forward and we're truly grateful. We are now
looking at gaps in charging stations and the steady increase in registered EVs in the county
and how they will be served. We're pleased to report the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus
and ComEd are supporting a Level 3 station at our DuPage County's Care Center, and now
drivers will have a fast charge option right along County Farm Road. Thanks again, and
congratulations to everyone in this room for truly making this region a cleaner place to
live. Congratulations to DuPage County.
So we knew the event was going to be big when we came to Chicago,
but looking at that crowd that's about to come up from the city of Chicago
being recognized as Evie Reddy Gold.
Come on.
Oh, goodness.
Yeah, you guys work it out down there.
I'm just going to read my notes up here.
This is a great problem to have.
We're so proud of Chicago.
So Chicago gets, of course, our first EV-ready goal to be recognized today,
and they get special recognition for most points earned.
So Chicago blew up our scoreboard with a dazzling 549 points earned.
We congratulate Chicago's highly skilled team who collaborated to gather
and provide thorough documentation for the many, many, many tasks needed
needed to earn so many points in the coveted EV Ready Gold designation.
And there are two more special awards.
So special recognition to the City of Chicago for their very impressive Chicago Moves Forward Electric Framework Plan,
and Mayor Johnson mentioned that, but the plan outlines their city's strategy to increase access to clean transportation,
reduce emissions, promote cleaner transportation future for all Chicagoans.
The city is leading a very impressive public outreach campaign to solicit feedback from
residents and stakeholders to comment on proposed EV charging station locations, e-mobility
needs and locations, accessibility, design features, and more.
And while Chicago is, of course, recognized for these really big achievements, we also
want to present this special recognition for the smallest accomplishment.
Having an Evie baby.
Jared Patton, the point person for Evie readiness work in Chicago, had a baby during the cohort.
And because of his deep commitment to Evie readiness, he named his new son Everett,
And he said, EV for short, this takes being a red T to new heights.
So we have special better fit, Jared.
Okay, well, it is tough to beat that story.
So I will be brief in just saying, you know, thank you to the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and to ComEd for this tremendous acknowledgement.
We're so thrilled.
As Mayor Johnson said, this is a whole-of-government approach.
no one department no one person does this alone truly it takes a team and
which is why we invited our whole team up here to celebrate these are the folks
that have gone through and ensure that this transition is happening successfully
within the city of Chicago as the mayor mentioned we've already transitioned
over 300 EVs and that means charging stations and all of the challenges that
come with putting new infrastructure into our fleet yards so it has been a
tremendous collaboration across departments and that has been coupled
with the exciting work of led by our Department of Transportation and
ensuring that we have EV infrastructure that is done equitably across the city
as well so you know I want to just quickly recognize the team here I won't
name everybody's name but I will just say that I am joined here by our Acting
Commissioner Craig Turner and his staff from the Department of Transportation
We're also joined here by our Department of Buildings, our Department of Fleet and Facilities Management, and then our team at the Department of Environment.
So thank you again for this wonderful recognition.
As Mayor Burns mentioned, we do have some heavy-duty vehicles outside.
We're happy to host a touch-a-truck after this celebration.
And we can take you for a spin.
Again, we won't be doing any donuts in the parking lot, but you're welcome to come up
and see the vehicles.
We're very thrilled about them, so thank you.
Okay, so next, gold winner is the Village of River Forest.
Congratulations to the Village of River Forest.
Gold is very difficult to achieve.
The Village earned 355 points to earn the gold designation.
We also want to give them special recognition for a precision plan review.
To earn bronze, as you've heard, every community must create a permit guide for contractors and community members to use.
River Forest went a step ahead and created a plan review checklist for their plan reviewers that streamlines and ensures consistency in their plan review process.
President Aduchi?
Thank you.
We were all wondering what our walk-up song was going to be.
So, again, on behalf of the Village of River Forest, my name is Kathy Adusam, the Village President, and we are so proud to be acknowledged and recognized for the gold, for work that we actually love to do, which is sometimes, as mayors know, we don't always get recognized for work that we love to do.
So this has been great.
I want to thank Mayor Rodring and Mayor Burns and the entire caucus for giving this recognition to us and helping us guide our way through the planning.
You know, River Forest is proud of our sustainability initiatives.
In fact, we're a small town and we have over nearly 350 EV vehicles already in River Forest.
And we're also installing charging stations throughout our community.
And we've, as mentioned, we've clarified our codes so that our residents and business can install EVs or buy EVs and use our charging stations.
So despite what's happening at the federal level, as Senator Durbin mentioned,
the Village of River Forest will continue to invest time, energy, and money in sustainability initiatives
because we believe it's important for our environment.
So again, I want to acknowledge the staff that is here for the great work that they did on this.
Without the Sustainability Commission and the village staff, I don't think we would have gotten this award.
So on behalf of River Forest and our village board and myself, thank you so much.
Congratulations to River Forest.
Okay, so our final EV Ready Gold designee is the City of Rolling Meadows.
Cheryl, we should have made them first.
So congratulations to the City of Rolling Meadows, which is our second highest point winner at 505 points to earn EV Ready Gold.
We also want to give special recognition to the City of Rolling Meadows for zoning code excellence.
The Rolling Meadows zoning amendment includes a progressive provision requiring gas stations constructed or refurbished after January 1,
2026, to include one DC fast charger for every four conventional fuel pumps.
They went another step further.
They went a step further and created regulations for EV charging as primary use and set minimum EV charging station performance standards.
These provisions should be seen as a model for EV zoning code language, so congratulations for that.
Another special recognition is our Sprint to Gold Award.
So towards the end of the cohort, it became more clear to the Rolling Meadows team that gold was possible.
So they doubled down and reached gold designation at a breathtaking pace.
It can easily take two cohort cycles, almost a year each, to achieve gold, and Rolling Meadows did it in a year, so congratulations.
Thank you so much, Edith, and thank you to the Metropolitan Mayor's Caucus for this excellent opportunity to be able to have the opportunity to sprint to gold.
I had an eight-minute speech, but as having the esteemed honor of the golden caboose for our awards today, or rather the golden EV,
I will make sure that I scratch most of that, except I do want to recognize my staff that are here.
We have City Manager Rob Sabo.
We have Rob Sabo.
Yes, please.
Our planner, Rob Savage, and we also have our assistant city manager slash community development director, Glenn Cole.
As you all know, without their hard work, we would not have been able to achieve the gold standard here for EV readiness within the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus in the Chicagoland region.
I will also state that the results of the EV readiness program show what's possible when cities decide to lead instead of follow.
Rolling Meadows is proud to be recognized among the leaders, crediting a more sustainable future for our region.
Thank you so much, everyone, and let's have lunch.