Blog post by Jess Beverly, Sierra Club Illinois Clean Energy Advocate
In 2013, Highland Park City Council member Kim Stone took a trip to Los Angeles and rode an electric bus, which prompted Stone to wonder—why doesn’t Illinois have an electrified transportation fleet? Since then, Stone and the Metro Chicago Chapter of the Climate Reality Project have been on a mission to convince Pace Suburban Bus, Chicago’s suburban regional transit authority, to electrify their fleet. For years, Sierra Club and the Climate Reality Project urged Pace to fully electrify their bus fleet by 2040, and recently led a volunteer advocacy effort in which over 800 constituents voiced their support of electrifying Pace’s fleet. As a result, Pace has committed to fully electrify their bus fleet by 2040, fully electrify the Waukegan bus fleet by 2026, and suspend the purchase of additional diesel buses in 2021 and 2022.
This commitment is a huge victory for public health and the planet. However, there is still more work to be done to ensure Pace prioritizes climate. As it stands, Pace operates 218 routes in northeastern Illinois, including 810 buses, 663 vans, and 1,316 paratransit vehicles. Of the 810 buses currently in operation, Pace has 91 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, and plans to purchase another 51 new CNG buses in 2022.
Though hailed as “green” technology, when Pace initially announced the transition in 2011, CNG buses have fallen out of favor as studies have revealed that there is minimal pollutant reduction. In fact, CNG buses emit only 12% less greenhouse gases than diesel buses. An electric bus averages between 29-87% lower emissions than diesel and 19-85% lower emissions than CNG buses. Beyond these climate concerns, investing in CNG is not the right financial decision for Pace as natural gas prices continue to rise.
The plan to continue to purchase CNG buses is both environmentally and fiscally irresponsible. Every bus purchased today is expected to be on the road for at least 12 years. As Pace moves forward with their commitment to a zero emissions bus fleet, these purchases will reverberate and ultimately set them back from achieving their goals.
All electric bus purchases should be made with the future in mind. In addition to halting the purchase of additional CNG buses, Pace can adopt an equitable procurement plan like the US Employment Plan (USEP). Equitable procurement plans like USEP are a proven tool that ensures the highest quality vehicles are brought in while also supporting good jobs with career pathways for people of color, women, and others traditionally left out of the manufacturing sector. More than $8 billion worth of procurements at other major transit agencies across the country including the Chicago Transit Authority, Los Angeles Metro, New York MTA, and Amtrak have been made using the USEP.
Constituents have the opportunity to engage in the decision-making process to ensure that Pace invests in the best technology moving forward. Pace is hosting public hearings on their 2022 Operating Budget and the 2022-2024 Capital Budget. Will you attend one of the six sessions slated for our region and make a public comment asking Pace to prioritize climate and public health by halting the purchase of additional CNG buses and purchasing any future electric buses through an equitable procurement process like the US Employment Plan?
Pace has attempted to make the process of public participation in these budget hearings as accessible as possible. You may attend any public hearing you choose and are not limited to attending the hearing in your geographic area.
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The first hearing is October 21, 2021 at 4 p.m. in-person in DuPage County at the County Admin Building.
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On October 22 at 1 p.m. there is a virtual hearing in Cook County. You must register 24 hours in advance to participate in this hearing.
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On October 25 at 4:30 p.m. there is an in-person hearing in McHenry County at Crystal Lake City Hall
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On October 26 at 4 p.m. there is an in-person hearing in Kane County at the Kane County Government building in Geneva.
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On October 27 at 11 a.m. there is a virtual hearing in Chicago. You must register 24 hours in advance to participate.
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On October 27 at 4 p.m. there is an in-person hearing in Cook County at River Grove Village Hall.
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On October 28 at 2 p.m. there is a virtual hearing in Lake County. You must register 24 hours in advance to participate.
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On October 29 at 12 p.m. there is a virtual hearing in Will County. You must register 24 hours in advance to participate.
We have created some talking points to help you develop your personal testimony if you wish to participate in these hearings.
You may also submit public comments without attending a hearing by completing this form.