Illinois doesn’t draw the same attention and headlines as other states when it comes to the current and future impacts of climate change. We don’t think of the threats from increasingly strong tropical storms and hurricanes like one does in Florida or Louisiana. We don’t have existential drought and water issues like Arizona or Nevada or wildfire risks like California and other western states. While our state may not jump to mind when we conjure images of the impact of climate change, this belies the all too real and significant risks facing communities across Illinois. According to FEMA’s National Risk Index, Cook County ranks in the 99th percentile for all counties across the country in terms of the expected annual loss in dollars resulting from natural hazards each year, with a composite expected annual loss of more than half a billion dollars. According to the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index, Illinois ranks eleventh out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia when it comes to estimated deaths from climate disasters.

The good news is that there are unprecedented resources for communities across the state to leverage to reduce emissions in order to mitigate the future impacts of climate change. One of the major new Federal programs created through the Inflation Reduction Act is the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program, which includes $4.6 billion in competitive implementation grant funding for programs, policies, projects, and measures that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. State and territorial agencies, municipalities, air pollution control agencies, and tribes are all eligible for implementation grant funding to implement measures identified in a Priority Climate Action Plan that covers their geographic area. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency developed a Priority Climate Action Plan for the entire state and the Chicago Metropolitan Planning Agency (CMAP) and Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus developed the Priority Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area. The first call for implementation grants was completed this spring and both the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and CMAP organized calls for projects from local governments. Awards are anticipated to be announced this summer, along with information on the timing of the next round of grants.

Across Illinois transportation is the leading contributor to GHG emissions, accounting for 25% of total emissions according to the Illinois EPA.  While much of the conversation around decarbonizing transportation has focused on electric vehicles (and there are many funding sources for this important work including Driving a Cleaner Illinois and the Illinois National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program), investments in walking, biking, transit, and shared mobility are critical tools for reducing transportation emissions and also deliver a broad range of community benefits, ranging from household cost savings to safer streets and increased physical activity. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the Carbon Reduction Program, a new formula funding program that allocates $6.4 billion for projects geared towards reducing transportation emissions. It is estimated that Illinois will receive $225 million over five years, which will flow to the state’s Metropolitan Planning Organizations to administer. In the Chicago region, CMAP selected four projects in 2023 to receive Carbon Reduction Program funding: Pace’s Pulse Halsted Line, the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line Extension Project and reconstruction and accessibility improvements at the Washington Blue Line station, and multimodal and accessibility improvements at the Elmhurst Metra Station. These selections underscore the critical role of multimodal transportation in addressing our climate challenges.  

While emissions across the state have decreased nearly 20% since 2005, there is still significant work to be done to meet the state’s target of reducing GHG emissions 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. Harnessing the opportunity of these new federal funding tools will be critical if we are to succeed in meeting our targets, averting the worst impacts of climate change, and safeguarding communities across Illinois.

Sam Schwartz is building a safer, more sustainable, liveable future—for everyone.

Author and Photo Credit:

Alex Hanson, Director of Transportation Planning at Sam Schwartz