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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT ILLINOIS CLEAN ENERGY TECH CONSORTIUM WITH COUNTY RESOURCES
WHEREAS, the federal government through the American Rescue Plan has allocated $1 billion to the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) to establish the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) to assist communities nationwide in their efforts to build back better by accelerating the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and building regional economies that will be resilient to future economic shocks; and
WHEREAS, Cook County joined the Illinois Clean Tech Economy Coalition (CTEC) led by mHUB, a center for physical product development and innovation, to pursue the EDA's Build Back Better Regional Challenge; and
WHEREAS, previously Cook County provided a $100,000 grant to mHUB to support the preparation of the initial submission in October, which included two projects that directly involved the Bureau of Economic Development and the Department of Environment and Sustainability; and
WHEREAS, the EDA received 529 applications from all over the country, the EDA named 60 finalists in December 2022 including that of the Illinois Clean Tech Economy Coalition and requested more detailed proposals from all finalists to be submitted by March 15, 2022 ; and
WHEREAS, Cook County serves on the Build Back Better Steering Committee and is a major contributor to the overall proposal in terms of program development and outreach; and
WHEREAS, the final CTEC proposal provides a strategy and plan to seed the existing clean energy ecosystem and establish a clean tech cluster in the Midwest, which will lead the country in the commercialization of Clean Energy Technologies and drive resilient and equitable economic recovery from the shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, if the Coalition's application proves successful, the Coalition will receive up to $77 million to support six distinct projects over the next 48 months in a comprehensive ...
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