FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 22, 2022
Contacts: Hannah Lee Flath, hannahlee.flath@sierraclub.org, 860-634-0225
CHICAGO, IL. -- Today, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced that it is implementing a multi-year plan to fully electrify its bus fleet over the next two decades. The ‘Charging Forward’ plan includes strategic recommendations and outlines a roadmap to replace its current fleet of more than 1,800 buses with electric buses while also investing in facilities and other supporting infrastructure, including charging equipment, by 2040. CTA’s transition to a fully electric bus fleet is a critical step toward tackling Illinois’ heavily polluting transportation sector while also centering equity.
The ‘Charging Forward’ plan will cost an estimated $1.8 to $3.1 billion and establishes a clear pathway in which state, federal, and utility incentives can assist with charging infrastructure, capital costs of buses, and necessary facility upgrades. It’s critical that both the state and federal government step up with substantial financial support in order to accelerate electrification and achieve this goal of full electrification by 2040. In addition, state and federal funding will help the CTA transition off of the use of diesel buses—the purchase and use of which is unfortunately still included in the ‘Charging Forward’ plan through 2026. Diesel buses cause harmful air pollution and, with additional governmental support, the CTA could opt to fully transition to an electric fleet even sooner in order to protect communities from diesel pollution.
In response to the CTA’S announcement, Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin released the following statement:
“Sierra Club applauds the CTA’s decision to fully electrify its bus fleet by 2040. This will bring cleaner air to neighborhoods throughout Chicago, and reduce the pollution that is causing climate change. CTA’s new plan acknowledges the harm caused by years of diesel pollution within the most vulnerable communities of Chicago, and sets an example for other transit agencies by prioritizing investments within these communities. Electrifying our public transit sector brings us closer to tackling Illinois’ heavily polluting transportation sector and achieving our climate goals while centering equity and a just transition.”
“Under the recently passed Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act and with CTA’s announcement today, Illinois is uniquely positioned to lead on clean energy and electric public transportation, but we can’t do it alone. Congress must pass the Build Back Better Agenda so that federal and state funding can work in tandem to ensure equitable access to electrified public transit.”