PEORIA – To kick off Parks and Recreation Month, State Senator Dave Koehler announced $400,000 in funding for a local park project.

“Spending time in nature is a great way to keep both our minds and bodies healthy,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “By bringing these investments to our community, we create outdoor spaces residents are excited to take advantage of.”

Through the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant program, Levee Park in East Peoria will receive $400,000 to build a spray pad and amphitheater to be enjoyed by community members of all ages.

Grants are administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and support local park projects. When combined with local matching funds, the latest OSLAD grants provide more than $56 million in local park development projects and land acquisitions statewide.

“I hope members of our community will join me in celebrating this Parks and Recreation Month by getting outside and enjoying everything nature has to offer,” Koehler said.

Learn more about OSLAD grants and see a full list of projects on the Illinois DNR website.

PEORIA – Thanks to State Senator Dave Koehler and other members of the General Assembly, Illinoisans who purchase electric vehicles will now be eligible to apply for a rebate.

“If it’s our goal to increase the accessibility and use of electric vehicles across the board, we have to make sure we’re including everyone in the conversation,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “By offering the same incentives for electric motorcycles that we do for other electric vehicles, we’re encouraging sustainability to an even greater population.”

The rebate program was created under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act passed by the General Assembly and signed into law in the fall of 2021. Illinois’ Electric Vehicle Rebate Fund has nearly $18 million allocated for rebates, and Illinois residents who purchase an all-electric vehicle on or after July 1, 2022, are now eligible to apply for a rebate of $4,000 each. To be eligible for a rebate, the vehicle must be exclusively powered and refueled by electricity, plugged in to charge, and licensed to drive on public roadways.

Electric motorcycles were not originally included in the legislation, but during the spring 2022 legislative session, Koehler sponsored legislation to expand CEJA and make highway-legal electric motorcycles eligible for a $1,500 electric vehicle rebate. Previously Senate Bill 2940, Public Act 102-0820 was signed into law this summer and is in full effect.

ABATE, the state’s largest motorcycle advocacy group, played a large role in drafting the legislation.

“Every step we take toward sustainability counts,” Koehler said. “But we have to make sure everyone has a chance to get on board. By ensuring affordability and accessibility, this is how we do that.”

Applications for the Illinois’ EV Rebate Program can be accessed online starting July 1. All applications must be postmarked on or before Sept. 30, 2022 to be considered. More information about the rebate program, including instructions on completing the application and answers to frequently asked questions, can be found on the EPA’s website.

PEORIA – The Village of Creve Coeur will soon see more than $1.7 million in infrastructure funding through a major, multi-year statewide infrastructure plan supported by State Senator Dave Koehler.

“Thousands of miles of roads across the state have already seen repairs and upgrades through the Rebuild Illinois plan,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “Some of these roads, like Wesley, are right here in our back yard, and their maintenance is vital to our community”

The village will receive a total of $1,705,615 to reconstruct nearly 5,000 feet of Wesley Road, which runs along the Illinois River. This project is one of 34 recently announced projects set to invest more than $50 million in infrastructure statewide.

The Rebuild Illinois plan allocates $1.5 billion across a three-year timeframe to be used for municipal, township and county projects across the state. Projects include road and bridge improvements, traffic signal upgrades, new storm sewers and bike paths, sidewalk replacements and other long-term maintenance needs.

“These projects bring good-paying jobs to the area keep Illinois at the forefront of infrastructure improvement and investment in the Midwest,” Koehler said.

A full list of projects funded by the Rebuild Illinois plan can be found by visiting the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s website.

PEORIA – A new law championed by State Senator Dave Koehler will keep Illinois on track toward a greener future by expanding recycling opportunities for renewable energy technology.

“Sustainable energy isn’t really sustainable when it requires technology that can’t be reused and is difficult to recycle,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “As we look to expand the widespread use of renewable energy, we have a responsibility to safely dispose of any associated waste.”

As much as one million total tons of solar panel waste is estimated to accumulate in the United States by 2030, and the U.S. is expected to have the second largest number of retired solar panels in the world by 2050, with as many as an estimated 10 million total tons of panels.

States such as California, Hawaii, New Jersey, North Carolina and Washington have already implemented strategies to address this excess waste, and Illinois would join these states by creating a Renewable Energy Component Recycling Task Force under Senate Bill 3790. The task force will be responsible for investigating options for recycling and other end of life methods for renewable generation components and energy storage devices, and is required to report its findings to the General Assembly by March 1, 2023.

“Our hope is that the task force is able to find new, innovative ways to recycle and reuse materials from our solar panels, ultimately increasing the sustainability of solar energy in Illinois,” said Koehler.

The legislation was signed Friday and goes into effect immediately.