Liza Heyman

Leave no rural communities or learners behind. Design policies and budgets with an intentional rural lens, and assure the backbone middle skills pathways are radically affordable and accessible. #RTDAL Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges SHEEO (State Higher Education Executive Officers Association) HCM Strategists

11

Illinois is not-so-quietly introducing out and passing some of the most advanced clean energy legislation in the country. This latest bill from Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman, the Advanced Technology Leadership Act, is especially impressive: https://lnkd.in/gmuiuJpy This legislation would set a carbon free standard for data centers in Illinois, requiring them to meet their energy usage with 100% hourly, deliverable, and new clean energy by 2035. Leader Hoffman and his staff have done their homework! We’ll be out with more on this soon, but for now check out these highlights: Summary: Data center-focused carbon free standard requiring deliverable, hourly matched, new clean energy for 100% matching by 2035. Covered entities:  Data centers with load greater than or equal to 5 MW Temporal requirements 100% annually matched by 2030 -->Ramp up from 70% in 2027 100% hourly matched by 2035 -->Ramp up from 20% in 2030 Deliverability requirements 2027, 40% in-state / 60% RTO subregion 2028, 45% in-state / 55% RTO subregion 2029, 50% in-state / 50% RTO subregion 2030 onwards, 60% in-state / 40% RTO subregion Incrementality requirements Eligible generation for compliance must have a commercial operations date or have been repowered no later than 7 years prior (5 for geothermal heating and cooling) Compliance details $200/MWh alternative compliance payment, increasing by 1% each year after 2027. These payments will go into a fund dedicated to lowering consumer energy costs for low-income qualifying residences. This could also be an opportunity to direct funds towards an "Electron Bank" supporting around-the-clock clean supply contracts -- stay tuned for more 👀 Other fun details Requirements for the use of battery and geothermal heating/cooling (critical technologies for meeting energy demand around the clock) and smart feasibility metrics like interregional delivery and the use of RECs + hourly data to achieve hourly compliance Bottom line, this legislation should be considered for inclusion in the omnibus legislation being considered in Illinois and should serve as a template for legislation everywhere.

37

Protect Kids from Lead supports the Illinois Environmental Council and Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation in calling on Governor Pritzker to leverage Illinois’ Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver to fund lead-reducing water filters for Medicaid-eligible households. With Illinois having more lead service lines than any other state, this policy represents a cost-effective, evidence-based public health intervention that protects children and pregnant people while long-term infrastructure replacement remains underway. Preventing lead exposure improves lifelong health outcomes, reduces future health care and social costs, advances environmental justice, and aligns with CDC and EPA guidance. This is the type of preventive, equity-centered innovation Medicaid waivers were designed to support. https://lnkd.in/dQ3BHfWp

17

$20 Million in Funding Available for Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Rebuild Illinois Allocates Funding to Further Expand EV Charging in Illinois Springfield – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Director James Jennings today announced a Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the purchase and installation of new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) EV charging stations (Level 3) and alternating current (Level 2) charging stations to be located at publicly accessible locations in Illinois. This first-come, first-served opportunity is being made available through Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan for electric vehicle projects authorized under CEJA. Due to the first come, first served nature of this round of funding, Illinois EPA is posting the application materials today on Amplifund. This round will begin accepting applications on Monday, November 17, 2025, at 9:00 A.M. Central Time. “Governor Pritzker has prioritized electrification of the transportation sector to improve air quality and benefit the health of our residents,” said Acting Director Jennings. “To support that priority, we are committed to expanding the charging infrastructure necessary to power current and future electric vehicles throughout Illinois.” Each application for Level 3 chargers must include a minimum of two charging station locations. This NOFO will fund up to eight DCFC ports per location, and there is no limit on the number of Level 2 ports funded at a location. Eligible applicants must be an owner of a proposed charging station location and/or an owner of the proposed charging station. All applications must meet a minimum score to be eligible. Factors that are scored includes project readiness, location in a county where Illinois EPA has not previously funded projects, distance to public EV charging sites, and location at public transportation Park-and-Ride Facility. Additional funding will also be awarded to projects at a charging station location in an area identified as an Equity Investment Eligible Community through the EIEC mapping tool. At that link, projects qualify for the additional points if they are in either an EJ or an R3 Community. https://lnkd.in/gNZ9_sdk

9

🚨 New Resource for Michigan Policy Professionals! 🚨 I’ve launched a new Slack channel for the MI Policy Leaders Community — a space designed to support both job seekers and employers across Michigan’s public policy landscape. 💼 Job seekers can browse and apply to open roles 🏢 Organizations that are hiring can post their opportunities directly to a community of engaged professionals 🤝 Everyone can connect, share resources, and ask questions Whether you’re looking for your next opportunity, trying to fill a role on your team, or just want to stay connected — this space is for you. Learn more and join the conversation here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eeAdDsNB Please share with anyone who might be interested!

91

2 Comments

This week, the Illinois state legislature can yet again drag the nation ahead on developing clean, affordable energy to power our economy. The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act would access unlock household energy to lower everyone's electric bills, expand large scale energy storage to keep the lights on and so much more. Illinois is leading the nation on harnessing local solar solutions and will yet again lead the pack forward this year. The Chicago Tribune agrees: https://lnkd.in/ee_Eavsq

7

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) awarded $19 million in funding to 38 recipients serving 1,900 members to expand the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship program. The program, launched in 2021, creates a pipeline of diverse candidates in construction and building trades. At the time, apprentices in Illinois were 31 percent people of color and five percent women. By 2024, 81 percent of the pre-apprenticeship program were Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian or Native American, and 24 percent were women. https://lnkd.in/gi3SEj3k