Analysis: Illinois is leaving money on the table until it embraces clean transportation

RMI analysis indicates that Illinois households could save over $2,800 annually by implementing a combination of vehicle electrification standards, climate-driven agency planning, and renewed transit investments. These strategies could reduce pollution by up to 305 million metric tons between 2024 and 2050 and prevent thousands of deaths annually through reduced crash fatalities, improved air quality, and increased physical activity. While Illinois has received federal funding via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the report notes the state has yet to adopt clean vehicle standards or integrate climate metrics into infrastructure project scoring.

• Implementing three clean transportation strategies—Vehicle Electrification Standards (ACCII and ACT), Climate-driven Agency Planning, and Renewed Investments in State Transit Systems—could save Illinois households an average of $2,815 per year. Adopting Advanced Clean Cars II alone is estimated to save commuters $732 annually due to lower fueling and maintenance costs.
• The adoption of these strategies could reduce pollution in Illinois by as much as 305 million metric tons from 2024 to 2050, which is equivalent to the emissions avoided by 3,000 new wind turbines.
• Clean transportation strategies are projected to save thousands of lives in Illinois. Specifically, car alternatives could prevent 220 crash fatalities annually, vehicle electrification could save 47 lives per year through better air quality, and replacing 1 in 25 car trips with walking or biking could avoid 1,645 premature deaths annually.
• Despite receiving $225 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for climate-smart transportation and $149 million for charger networks, Illinois has not yet adopted clean vehicle standards or incorporated climate and equity metrics into its Department of Transportation project scoring.

APA

RMI (2024). Analysis: Illinois is leaving money on the table until it embraces clean transportation. https://rmi.org/resources/analysis-illinois-is-leaving-money-on-the-table-until-it-embraces-clean-transportation/

Chicago

RMI. Analysis: Illinois is leaving money on the table until it embraces clean transportation. 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/analysis-illinois-is-leaving-money-on-the-table-until-it-embraces-clean-transportation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Analysis: Illinois is leaving money on the table until it embraces clean transportation |date=19 April 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/analysis-illinois-is-leaving-money-on-the-table-until-it-embraces-clean-transportation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024analysis, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Analysis: Illinois is leaving money on the table until it embraces clean transportation}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/analysis-illinois-is-leaving-money-on-the-table-until-it-embraces-clean-transportation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }