INFRASTRUCTURE.
PARIS?
>> BRANDIS, THE FINAL GRADES ARE
IN AND ILLINOIS GETS A C MINUS
FOR ITS INFRASTRUCTURE.
THAT IS ACCORDING TO THE
ILLINOIS SECTION OF THE AMERICAN
SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.
THE GROUP GRADED THE STATE ON
EVERYTHING FROM ROADS TO
DRINKING WATER.
AND JOINING US ARE ERIK VARELA,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
ILLINOIS INTERNATIONAL PORT
DISTRICT AND ANDREW WALTON
PRESIDENT OF THE ILLINOIS
SECTION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY
OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.
WELCOME BOTH OF YOU TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT."
I KNOW YOU ARE JOINING US FROM A
ROOM AT UNION STATION.
ANDREW WALTON BREAKDOWN WHAT
DOES A C MINUS SCORE MEAN FOR
ILLINOISANS?
>> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
C MINUS IS THE SAME GRADE IN
2018.
WHILE IT'S THE SAME GRADE WE
HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN
ILLINOIS WITH INVESTMENTS
THROUGH REBUILD ILLINOIS AND THE
FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND JOBS
ACT.
WE SAW NOTABLE INCREASES IN FOUR
CATEGORIES THIS YEAR AND WE HAD
ONE CATEGORY THAT SAW A DECREASE
THAT WAS IN DRINKING WATER AND
ALSO WE HAD A NEW CATEGORY THAT
WAS INTRODUCED WHICH IS THE
STORM WATER CATEGORY
>> AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE AREAS
THAT YOU MENTIONED IMPROVED.
ROADS, TRANSIT, DAMS AND INLAND
WATERWAYS.
WHAT LED TO THOSE IMPROVEMENTS?
>> WE'VE SEEN INVESTMENT HERE
THROUGH THE REBUILD ILLINOIS
CAPITAL PLAN AND THE FEDERAL
INFRASTRUCTURE AND JOBS ACT
WHICH LED TO SIGNIFICANT
INVESTMENT HERE IN ILLINOIS TO
PROVIDE SOME OF THAT INVESTMENT
FOR THESE INFRASTRUCTURE
IMPROVEMENTS.
WE'VE SEEN INCREASES IN THE
ROADS CATEGORY AND WE'VE SEEN
INCREASES IN THE DAMS INLAND
WATERWAY SECTIONS AS WELL.
>> AND SOME OF THE GRADES WERE
LOW.
ALMOST NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP.
AND ERIK VARELA, EXPLAIN THE
ROLE OF PORTS IN GENERAL IN
ILLINOIS' INFRASTRUCTURE.
>> THANK YOU.
SURE.
SO OBVIOUSLY THE PORTS ARE
INTEGRAL TO THE MOVEMENT OF
COMMODITIES IN AND THROUGH THE
STATE OF ILLINOIS.
HERE IN THE STATE MOST PEOPLE
ARE NOT THINKING ABOUT A PORT.
ALTHOUGH RECENT SUPPLY CHAIN
ISSUES ON THE COASTS MAY HAVE
CHANGED THAT BUT THE PORTS ARE
KEY PARTICULARLY WITH THE REPORT
CARD ON INFRASTRUCTURE HERE
TODAY.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT
FOR 70 YEARS, PORT ILLINOIS
INTERNATIONAL PORT DISTRICT HAS
BEEN MOVING IN THE COMMODITIES
OF BRINGING THOSE COMMODITIES
THE CEMENT, THE STEEL, THE IRON,
THE SAND ALL THOSE THINGS THAT
WE NEED TO IMPROVE THE PORTS FOR
INFRASTRUCTURE COME THROUGH THE
PORT OR HAVE COMPANIES THAT CALL
THE PORT HOME.
IN ORDER TO KEEP THESE GRADES
MOVING FORWARD WE NEED TO
CONTINUE TO INVEST IN THE PORT.
>> ONE OF THE GRADES THAT DID
MOVE FORWARD WAS THE INLAND
WATERWAYS.
EXPLAIN HOW THOSE IMPROVED AND
EXPERTS TALKED FOR YEARS ABOUT
THE RESPONSE OF INLAND WATERWAYS
AND NEED TO BOOST TRAFFIC ON
INLAND WATERWAYS TO REDUCE
POLLUTION AND INCREASE COMMERCE.
TALK ABOUT THEIR IMPROVEMENT?
>> CERTAINLY.
THE FIRST THING YOU MENTIONED
THEY ARE THE GREENEST MOVING
FREIGHT ON WATER IS THE MOST
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WAY TO
DO THAT.
IF WE ARE ABLE TO INCREASE THE
SHIP TRAFFIC ON THE WATERWAYS WE
ARE REDUCING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT LESS TRUCKS AND LESS
TRAINS AND OTHER EFFICIENCIES
THAT WAY.
THE IMPROVEMENT GOES BACK TO
WHAT ANDREW MENTIONED ABOUT THE
INVESTMENT WE'VE SEEN FROM THE
STATE AND CERTAIN PORTS ON THE
WATERWAYS.
GOVERNOR PRITZKER THROUGH THE
REBUILD ILLINOIS PROGRAM
DEDICATED $150 MILLION FOR
PORTS.
THAT GOES TO THE GOVERNOR'S
CREDIT TO RECOGNIZE THAT PORTS
ARE INTEGRAL TO MAINTAINING
CHICAGO AND THE STATE'S TITLE AS
THE FREIGHT HUB OF THE NATION.
WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO MAKE THE
INVESTMENTS INTO THE RIVER
SYSTEM YOU CAN THEREFORE
INCREASE TRAFFIC AND REDUCE
BOTTLENECKS.
>> ONE OF THE AREAS THAT GOT
WORSE ACCORDING TO THE REPORT
CARD IS DRINKING WATER.
AND I ASSUME THIS WAS DONE
BEFORE THE FEDERAL AND STATE
ANNOUNCEMENTS ON REPLACING LEAD
PIPES.
WHAT LED TO THAT DECREASE FOR
DRINKING WATER?
>> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION,
PARIS.
ILLINOIS GROUND WATER SUPPLY
SYSTEM IS BEING DEPLETED AND THE
NUMBER OF COMMUNITY WATER SUPPLY
SYSTEMS THAT ARE IN VIOLATION OF
USEPA REQUIREMENTS FOR DRINKING
WATER PROGRAMS IS UP
SIGNIFICANTLY.
ADDITIONALLY, NON-REVENUE WATER
LOSS DUE TO LEAKING PIPES OR
WATERMAIN BREAKS IS ALSO UP
ABOVE THE 10% THRESHOLD THAT IS
PUT FORTH BY THE ILLINOIS
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES.
>> A LOT OF WORK TO DO AND I
ASSUME THIS REPORT WAS DONE
BEFORE THE RECENT FEDERAL AND
STATE INVESTMENTS IN REPLACING
LEAD WATERLINES.
I WANT TO GET TO THE ISSUE OF
MASS TRANSIT ILLINOIS HAS THE
SECOND BIGGEST IN THE COUNTRY
AND HERE IS P WHAT MAYOR LORI
LIGHTFOOT HAD TO SAY.
>> OF COURSE, WE ARE TRYING TO
MOVE TOWARDS LOWERING OUR CARBON
FOOTPRINT WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION
TO DO THAT AS A CITY.
BUT MEANWHILE, BACK ON PLANET
REALITY, A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE TO
DRIVE.
BECAUSE WE HAVE HUGE STRETCHES
OF OUR CITY THAT DON'T HAVE
TRANSPORTATION.
WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO
LIVE IN A CITY BUT HAVE TO GO TO
THE SUBURBS FOR THEIR JOB AND
THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN GET THERE
IS TO DRIVE.
>> NOT A RINGING ENDORSEMENT
MASS TRANSIT D PLUS IN THIS
REPORT.
HOW DOES THE STATE IMPROVE UPON
THAT, ANDREW?
>> WELL, LET ME FIRST START BY
STATING THAT STATE AND FEDERAL
CAPITAL FUNDING HAS SUFFERED FOR
MANY YEARS IN THE TRANSIT SECTOR
BUT THE REBUILD ILLINOIS AND THE
FEDERAL ACT IS MAKING STRIDES TO
PROVIDE THAT INVESTMENT.
SO WE'RE MAKING STRIDES NOW.
>> SO IT IS A MATTER OF
INVESTMENT IN SOME OF THESE
AGING STRUCTURES.
ERIK VARELA THE PORT SYSTEM
CHICAGO PORTS IT'S SEEN AS THIS
HIDDEN ECONOMIC GEM THAT IF
FULLY UTILIZED TO BOOST THE
ECONOMY WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET
THE PORT OPERATING AT FULL
POTENTIAL.
>> IT IS AN ECONOMIC GEM.
AND WHAT IT NEEDS IS TO INVEST
IN ITSELF.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE
PORT IS BEING UPDATED IN ORDER
TO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO
RECEIVE THE CURRENT COMMODITIES
AND LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
AS WE LOOK AT WHAT ELSE IS GOING
TO BE COMING DOWN THE PIKE IN
TERMS OF GOODS MOVING THROUGH
THE STATE.
I THINK SOME OF THE NUMBERS
COMING AROUND IS WE'RE EXPECTING
A 40% INCREASE OF FREIGHT
THROUGH THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
THE PORT NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO
HANDLE THAT.
IN ORDER TO DO THAT WE NEED TO
INVEST IN OURSELVES.
WE CAN START ATTRACTING MORE
TENANTS AND ATTRACTING NEW
BUSINESSES AND PROBABLY GREEN
TECHNOLOGIES.
AND AGAIN, WE STARTED THAT.
THE GOVERNOR STARTED THAT WITH
THE INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS.
MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT AND THE
CHICAGO OF CITY OF CHICAGO HAS A
INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN THAT WILL
HELP THE PORT AND COOK COUNTY IS
PART OF 1.27 BILLION 5 YEAR
CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN THEY ARE
A PARTNER AS WELL.
NOW THAT WE HAVE THE ATTENTION
OF OUR ELECTED LEADERS WE WILL
MOVE THE PORT FORWARD.
>> POTENTIAL AND ROOM FOR
IMPROVEMENT FOR ILLINOIS'