CHICAGO (WGEM) – Illinois is receiving more than half a billion dollars from the federal government to invest in clean energy and help reduce pollution across the state.

On Friday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (Democrat) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, celebrated the two grants.

One of them is a $430 million grant for reducing climate pollution. The other is a grant worth $95 million from the EPA’s Clean Ports program.

“This tremendous partnership between state and federal agencies has once again produced tremendous results for our state, cleaner air and water, stronger, more sustainable infrastructure, and additional economic growth and opportunity.” , Pritzker said.

He said the money would help the state advance projects in transportation, agriculture and construction. The money will be used to fund heavy-duty vehicle charging infrastructure, help farmers adopt more sustainable farming practices and use clean building technologies to reduce homeowners’ energy bills. The money will also help Illinois ports move toward net zero carbon emissions.

“Our ports are a vital part of our economy, and this grant will ensure their long-term stability and support the workers, businesses and communities that depend on them,” Pritzker said.

These subsidies were made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act. Passed in 2022, the federal law did several things, including making major investments in climate change.

“It was historic, the largest investment ever made in the climate crisis,” Durbin said.

He supported the law in the U.S. Senate.

He said the federal government is investing about $630 billion in clean technology, which has spurred about $1 trillion in private investment in the United States. Illinois has received about $19 billion so far through the law.

“The Inflation Reduction Act invested in communities, clean energy jobs and manufacturing for all Americans, regardless of where they live or party affiliation,” Durbin said .

Pritzker said the grants will also help Illinois meet its goals set in the Climate and Fair Employment Actwhich consists of the State switching to 100% clean energy by 2050.

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