CHICAGO — Governor JB Pritzker announced that the State of Illinois received the necessary assurances from the federal government to move toward completion of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project.
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This afternoon, the Trump Administration issued a memorandum expressing their support for continuation of the project, which aims to prevent invasive carp from infiltrating the Great Lakes. After months of uncertainty around the withholding of federal infrastructure funding from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), the Administration has reversed course and given the certainty required for the State of Illinois to continue as previously planned.
“I am glad that the Trump Administration heard our calls about the importance of delivering federal funds for the Brandon Road Project and decided to finally meet their obligations to the State of Illinois and the Great Lakes region,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I have made clear that – in the interest of saving the Illinois taxpayer potentially hundreds of millions in liabilities – we would only move forward if given the proper assurances that the federal government would hold up their end of the bargain.”
Illinois has long played a leading role in advancing the Brandon Road project. Through responsible investment and diligent collaboration with US Army Corps of Engineers and other Great Lakers partners, the state has facilitated progress of construction while ensuring Illinois does not carry the entire burden of a project that benefits the entire region and beyond.
Under the Biden administration, Congress appropriated $225 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Brandon Road project and Illinois secured an agreement on federal cost sharing that would significantly lower operation and maintenance costs and save Illinois taxpayers millions.
However, after the Trump Administration cut off infrastructure funding from IDNR, the state sent a letter to US Army Corps of Engineers reporting the closing on the riverbed parcel needed for the project was postponed pending funding assurance from the federal government.
Governor Pritzker has promised first and foremost to protect Illinois taxpayers from unnecessary financial burdens. The Trump Administration is continuing to withhold approximately $1.8 billion of Illinois taxpayers’ money. The State of Illinois continuously monitors access to these funds and Governor Pritzker will keep using every lever available to unlock these resources the state is owed, including how he did with the Brandon Road Infrastructure Project.
