February 12, 2022

Duckworth Hosts Secretary Buttigieg in Bloomington-Normal to Highlight Electric Vehicle Manufacturing and Training in Central Illinois

 

[NORMAL, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today hosted U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg at Heartland Community College to tour the college’s new Electric Vehicle – Energy Storage (EVES) Manufacturing Training Academy and discuss how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will create good-paying local jobs, especially in the Electric Vehicle sector. Duckworth and Buttigieg were joined by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on the visit, which follows this week’s announcement of DOT’s electric vehicle charging network investments to Illinois through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will provide Illinoisans with job opportunities as well as make it easier for them to travel the state and nation. Photos from today’s tour are available here.

“I’m honored to have Secretary Buttigieg joining us in Central Illinois today to see firsthand how we’re making this region a leader in EV manufacturing,” Duckworth said.” I’m glad that with our work at the federal level, and with our state’s leadership, Illinois can be the future of electric vehicle manufacturing. And thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re already seeing how this legislation is benefitting Illinoisans – most recently with this week’s announcement of support for building electric vehicle chargers across our state. Programs like these will help make electric vehicles more accessible to all Illinoisans—no matter if they live in a big city or a rural community.”

Duckworth, Buttigieg, Durbin and Pritzker were joined by Heartland Community College (HCC) President Keith Cornille as well as HCC training academy students and instructors to learn more about the college’s workforce development program. HCC’s Electric Vehicle program leads to an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electric Vehicle Technology, which prepares students for the emerging field of electric vehicle manufacturing, service and repair.

Following the tour, Duckworth and Buttigieg, both parents to young children, joined a Highway Safety Specialist with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the Normal Fire Department headquarters for a demonstration on how adults can properly install a child’s car seat. A photo from the demonstration is available here.

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