BLOOMINGTON — U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin visited Bloomington on Wednesday to recognize the $15.8 million in federal funding Connect Transit has received to convert half of its transit fleet to electric vehicles by 2024.
But as the state of Illinois prepares to integrate more electric vehicles into its economy, the five-time senator acknowledged that the federal government must find a way to recoup a significant loss of motor fuel tax revenue. It may fall on owners of these electric vehicles to cover this shortfall, he said.Â
"We have time to adjust to this and I think we should," the Springfield Democrat said. "It is not unfair to say to the drivers of vehicles, even electric vehicles, 'Are you prepared to pay your fair share of some of the infrastructure in America if you keep up with the growth of the economy?'"
Durbin added that he believes there still is room to give savings to consumers at the pump.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin speaks during a news conference to discuss federal funding previously awarded to Connect Transit in Bloomington-Normal through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Low-No Emissions and Buses and Bus Facilities Grant Programs, as well as funding he secured in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus appropriations bill for electric buses and infrastructure. The two awards will result in $15.8 million in federal funding for Connect Transit to help convert the agency’s transit fleet to electric vehicles., Durbin was joined by U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, local leaders and state Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington.
A recent report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, which has strong ties to organized labor, warned of a substantial loss in transportation revenue through this transition process, primarily through motor fuel taxes.
The report estimated Illinois would have to add 119,000 electric vehicles every year in order to meet a goal of one million by 2030. Should the state hit this goal, it would lose out on $765 million in combined sales and motor fuel taxes when accounting for additional EV fees.
In total, the report estimated that the state and federal revenue loss over the next decade would be about $4.3 billion.
Connect Transit was awarded $13 million in federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration's bus grant program, which will be used to purchase five full-sized electric buses and several smaller electric vehicles for a microtransit service that would operate similar to a rideshare.
The Bloomington-Normal bus system also will use the funding to develop an on-site training center to support bus training efforts with the Illinois Department of Transportation and FTA.
Connect Transit
Another $2.8 million in earmark funding will be used to purchase additional electric vehicles as part of the microtransit program that will serve disadvantaged neighborhoods and the area's growing senior population.
That funding also will support the planning of a "microgrid" that can be used to capture and store solar and wind energy to power Connect Transit's electric vehicle fleet.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin answers questions during a news conference to discuss federal funding previously awarded to Connect Transit in Bloomington-Normal through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Low-No Emissions and Buses and Bus Facilities Grant Programs, as well as funding he secured in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus appropriations bill for electric buses and infrastructure. The two awards will result in $15.8 million in federal funding for Connect Transit to help convert the agency’s transit fleet to electric vehicles., Durbin was joined by U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen and local leaders and state Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington.
David Braun, general manager of Connect Transit, said each electric bus is expected to save about 7,000 gallons of diesel a year, which doesn't just help Connect Transit reduce its carbon footprint.
"The diesel fuel that we're saving in public transit can then be used for commercial uses," Braun said. "Realistically, it increases the supply and then potentially reduced the cost in the long term."
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen speaks on Jan. 18 during a news conference to discuss federal funding previously awarded to Connect Transit in Bloomington-Normal through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Low-No Emissions and Buses and Bus Facilities Grant Programs, as well as funding he secured in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus appropriations bill for electric buses and infrastructure. The two awards will result in $15.8 million in federal funding for Connect Transit to help convert the agency’s transit fleet to electric vehicles.
Accompanying Durbin was newly elected U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen of the 17th Congressional District, who said these federal funds are not a one-and-done investment. It is the first step forward in a fight against a nationwide health crisis and there are champions in Springfield who will bring additional funding back to Central Illinois, he said.
"We know that when we invest in public transit that we create the opportunities that help our economy grow and that's what we're doing today," Sorenson said.
State Rep. Sharon Chung and U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen speak with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin speaks before a news conference at Connect Transit in Bloomington-Normal.
U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen speaks on Wednesday about federal funding previously awarded to Connect Transit
Cities where residents rely on cellular data to access the web & stream
Cities Where Residents Rely on Cellular Data to Access the Web & Stream
Photo Credit: Pheelings media / Shutterstock
The COVID-19 pandemic will have many lasting effects on society, culture, and the economy, but one of the most significant changes is the world’s increased dependence on the internet. While internet access has been an important part of modern life for several decades, COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of internet technology in several ways. More K-12 schools and colleges have turned to online learning when faced with COVID outbreaks, large numbers of workers have permanently shifted to working from home or hybrid arrangements, and ecommerce, online communications, streaming platforms, and other online products and services have exploded in popularity.
However, this rapid transition has left some parts of the population behind, exacerbating disparities in internet access that experts refer to as the digital divide. Communities and individuals without access to reliable internet have less ability to work, learn, shop, and communicate online. While smartphones, tablets, and other devices with cellular data have become commonplace and allow people to access the web, these connections are usually slower and less reliable than high-quality internet service.
Disparities in whether and how people are able to access the internet break down on demographic lines. One of these differences is simply generational. Increasingly, there is a divergence between younger and older adults in terms of reliance on cellular data for internet access. Nearly one in three adults aged 18 to 29—a group that came of age as smartphones and similar technologies were becoming ubiquitous—report that they rely on cellular data for internet access, more than twice as high as any other age cohort.
But internet access is more frequently limited by household resources. Those with lower incomes tend to have a difficult time accessing the internet either because service is unaffordable or their communities do not have the same infrastructure available in wealthier, more developed areas. Households earning under $30,000 per year are much likelier than higher-earning households to rely on cellular data for internet access, with 27% of such households reporting doing so.
Young _ low income adults rely heavily on cell data for internet
To address these challenges, policymakers have emphasized expanded access to internet infrastructure in their response to the pandemic. Two federal COVID-19 relief packages, the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan, included billions of dollars in flexible funds for state and local governments, and many states and localities have used their allocations to build out broadband infrastructure. More recently, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal passed and signed into law in November 2021 included $65 billion for broadband internet, with a goal of expanding reliable high-speed internet to millions of Americans who currently lack access. This is by far the largest federal investment in digital infrastructure in U.S. history.
Many of the locations most likely to benefit from these investments are rural states with lower household incomes, where internet infrastructure is unavailable or residents are unable to afford costs. The states with the highest reliance on cellular data for internet access are primarily located in the South, led by Mississippi at 20.1%, Arkansas at 17.4%, and Oklahoma at 17.1%. These are also among the states where residents are least likely to have any internet access at all.
Southern states are most likely to rely on cell data for internet
At the metro level, household incomes and poverty rates similarly show a relationship to reliance on cellular data or an inability to access the internet generally. The locations where more people are using cellular data have relatively low incomes and higher poverty rates. In some of these communities, more than one in four residents can only access the internet using cellular data.
To identify the locations where residents rely exclusively on cellular data for internet access, researchers at HotDog.com used data from the U.S. Census Bureau to calculate the percentage of households whose only internet connection was through a cellular data plan. These households lacked other forms of internet access, such as broadband, dial-up, or satellite. Researchers also calculated the percentage of households without any access to the internet, median household income, and the poverty rate. To improve relevance, only locations with 100,000 residents or more were included.
Here are the metros where residents rely on cellular data to access the web and stream.
Small _ midsize metros whose residents rely on cell data for internet
15. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Photo Credit: Charl W Folscher / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 11.1%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 8.2%
- Median household income: $71,400
- Poverty rate: 10.5%
14. Kansas City, MO-KS
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 11.2%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 8.3%
- Median household income: $69,000
- Poverty rate: 10.3%
13. Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 11.4%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 16.9%
- Median household income: $54,500
- Poverty rate: 15.4%
12. Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 11.4%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 11.4%
- Median household income: $62,000
- Poverty rate: 10.5%
11. Salt Lake City, UT
Photo Credit: Maciej Bledowski / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 11.4%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 4.7%
- Median household income: $79,000
- Poverty rate: 8.6%
10. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 11.5%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 10.8%
- Median household income: $60,600
- Poverty rate: 13.5%
9. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
Photo Credit: Felix Lipov / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 11.6%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 11.0%
- Median household income: $58,800
- Poverty rate: 13.1%
8. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Photo Credit: RaulCano / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 11.8%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 9.3%
- Median household income: $69,000
- Poverty rate: 12.9%
7. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
Photo Credit: Alexandr Junek Imaging / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 12.0%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 9.3%
- Median household income: $68,000
- Poverty rate: 10.6%
6. New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Photo Credit: evenfh / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 12.1%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 14.0%
- Median household income: $55,000
- Poverty rate: 16.4%
5. Tucson, AZ
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 12.7%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 9.6%
- Median household income: $55,980
- Poverty rate: 13.8%
4. Jacksonville, FL
Photo Credit: GagliardiPhotography / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 13.8%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 7.7%
- Median household income: $64,800
- Poverty rate: 11.5%
3. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 14.6%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 12.7%
- Median household income: $60,400
- Poverty rate: 11.9%
2. Oklahoma City, OK
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 16.1%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 10.1%
- Median household income: $60,000
- Poverty rate: 13.1%
1. Birmingham-Hoover, AL
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Percentage of households with cellular data only: 16.4%
- Percentage of households without any internet access: 12.5%
- Median household income: $57,100
- Poverty rate: 14.0%
