By HOI ABC
SPRINGFIELD – As production of electric vehicles begins at the Rivian plant in Normal, governors from Illinois and four other states announced Thursday they’re working together to speed up building the infrastructure needed to charge those vehicles throughout the region.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and chief executives from Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin said they’ve signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate vehicle electrification with expectations that the project will create an estimated 105,000 jobs by 2030.
The electrification will happen along key commercial corridors, and the agreement among the governors calls for the states to work together with the industry to understand future workforce needs, support workforce training programs, and build the transportation system of the future, according to a news release.
“By working together with our Midwestern neighbors, we can accelerate the region’s growth in the transportation sector, create jobs across our communities, and prioritize the environment that makes the Great Lakes region so great along the way,” Gov. Pritzker said in a prepared statement.
The agreement also calls for the entire region to take advantage of federal funding opportunities and “create a welcoming environment for economic development and innovation around EVs.”
