Romeoville, Lockport, Morris, Marseilles, and Ottawa Receive Grants

Romeoville & Lockport were recently selected to receive Energy Transition Community Grants from DCEO. These grants are an initiative under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) that provides funding for communities that have been impacted by fossil fuel plant or coal mine closures or significant reductions. Romeoville received $158,155 and Lockport received $360,245.

The $40 million program was designed to meet the needs of individual localities by addressing the economic and social impacts of plant closures. The funding can be used on a variety of initiatives and investments, including workforce investments, housing support, business attraction efforts, and more.

“Passing the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act was a significant undertaking that continues to help Illinois become a leader in the clean energy economy. I am thrilled that our communities are included in such important work through the Energy Transition Community Grant Program,” said State Rep. Dagmara Avelar. “Thanks to these generous grant awards, our communities can afford to transition away from fossil fuel plants to make room for clean energy jobs and move our state and district forward.”

Also receiving grants recently are Morris, Marseilles, and Ottawa. These awards of $500,000 to $600,000 were state-financed as part of the Open Space Land Grant Acquisition & Development (OSLAD) program, designed to help communities fund land acquisition and development. OSLAD grants typically provide up to 50% of funding for a project and the other 50% are supplied by matching funds.