433 West Van Buren Street  
Suite 450  
Chicago, IL 60607  
312-454-0400  
cmap.illinois.gov  
CMAP BOARD  
MEETING MINUTES - FINAL  
Wednesday, May 13, 2026  
9:30 AM  
Cook County Conference Room  
433 West Van Buren Street, Suite 450  
Chicago, IL 60607  
Members of the public who attend in-person can pre-register for a visitor's pass at info@cmap.illinois.gov  
until May 12, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. or should plan to arrive early to check-in with the building's information  
desk for access.  
You can also join from your computer, tablet or smartphone.  
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82917643166?pwd=T5D697gzTxXjvaPBrescB9BeRxuTB1.1  
Conference Call number: 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)  
Meeting ID: 829 1764 3166  
Passcode: 056489  
CMAP provides the opportunity for public comment. Individuals are encouraged to submit comment by  
email to info@cmap.illinois.gov at least 24 hours before the meeting. A record of all written public  
comments will be maintained and made publicly available.  
The total cumulative time for public comment is limited to 15 minutes, unless determined otherwise by  
the Chair. Public comment is limited to three minutes per person unless the Chair designates a longer or  
shorter time period. Public comments will be invited in this order: Comments from in person attendees  
submitted ahead of time; comments from in-person attendees not previously submitted; comments from  
virtual attendees submitted ahead of time; and comments from virtual attendees not previously  
submitted.  
To review CMAP's public participation policy, please visit https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/committees.  
If you require a reasonable accommodation or language interpretation services to attend or join the  
meeting, please contact CMAP at least five days before the meeting by email (info@cmap.illinois.gov) or  
phone (312-454-0400).  
1.0  
Call to Order and Introductions  
Mayor Bennett called the meeting to order at 9:36 a.m.  
Present:  
Gerald Bennett, Frank Beal, Matthew Brolley, Jada Curry, Gary Grasso, Paul Hoefert,  
Nina Idemudia, John Noak, Nancy Rotering, Joanna Ruiz, Carolyn Schofield, Anne  
Sheahan, Matthew Walsh and Jung Yoon  
Absent:  
Richard Reinbold  
Non-Voting: Kouros Mohammadian  
Noting a physical quorum of the Board, Chair Bennett reported requests were received from  
MembersꢀMatt Brolley, Paul Hoefert, John Noak, Carolyn Schofield,ꢀandꢀJung Yoonꢀto attend the  
meetingꢀvirtually inꢀcompliance with the Open Meets Act. A vote is needed to approve their virtual  
attendance.  
A motion was made by MemberꢀGary Grasso, seconded by MemberꢀNancy Rotering, toꢀpermitꢀ  
MembersꢀMatt Brolley, Paul Hoefert, John Noak, Carolyn Schofield, and Jung Yoonꢀtoꢀparticipateꢀin the  
meetingꢀin accordance withꢀOpen Meetings Act requirements. The motion carried by the following  
vote:  
Aye:  
Gerald Bennett, Frank Beal, Jada Curry, Gary Grasso, Nina Idemudia, Nancy Rotering,  
Joanna Ruiz, Anne Sheahan and Matthew Walsh  
Richard Reinbold  
Absent:  
Non-Voting: Kouros Mohammadian  
Not Present: Matthew Brolley, Paul Hoefert, John Noak, Carolyn Schofield and Jung Yoon  
Staff present: Erin Aleman, Bill Barnes, Nora Beck, VasꢀBoykovskyy, Elizabeth Ginsberg,ꢀRyan Gougis,  
Craig Hamill, Kasia Hart, Aimee Lee, Maren Lutterbach, Stephane Phifer,ꢀGeorge Rivera,ꢀCharlie  
Rotering,ꢀKyle Schulz,ꢀJennie Vana, Blanca Vela-Schneider,ꢀElizabeth Scott,ꢀIsmetꢀSulamc, Claire  
Williams  
Others present: Garland Armstrong, Eric Czarnota, Rithvika Dara, Heidi Files, Dan Forbush, Danielle  
Hamer, Gretchen Klock, David Kovarik, Brian Larson, Heidi Lichtenberger, Brittany Matyas, Stacey  
Paradis, Andrew Plenge, Mark Pruitt, Leslie Rauer, Vicky Smith, Joe Surdam  
2.0  
Agenda Changes and Announcements  
There were no changes to the agenda.  
2.01 Executive Director’s report  
26-109  
Attachments: Memo - Executive Director report  
Erin Aleman provided an update on recent activities of the agency. She reported on her trip to  
Washington, D.C. for the Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors meeting, where she  
serves as board chair during the organization’s 25th anniversary year. While there, she also met with  
Senator Duckworth to discuss infrastructure funding and the federal transportation reauthorization  
bill.  
The Executive Director also shared insights from a study trip to the Netherlands focused on bicycling  
infrastructure, multimodal mobility, and integrated approaches to housing and transportation  
investment. She noted that the Netherlands’ coordinated land use and affordability strategies offer  
lessons relevant to CMAP’s Century Plan work.  
Erin Aleman announced the release of the My Daily Travel Survey Analysis, now available on CMAP’s  
Data Hub. The findings highlight increased midday travel, continued telecommuting, and longer trip  
lengths compared with pre-pandemic patterns. She noted that staff can assist members in  
interpreting these trends locally.  
Director Aleman furthermore informed the Board that Safe Streets and Roads for All funding is open  
for applications, with many communities eligible due to CMAP’s regional safety action plans. She also  
congratulated CMAP’s communications team for receiving a national award for the Safe Travel for All  
website and related outreach.  
In addition, she announced the publication of the updated 2026 Land Use Inventory, incorporating  
2023 parcel data to support long-range regional forecasting.  
Erin Aleman concluded by highlighting recent Century Plan Catalyst Series events on industrial  
development, climate action, and water governance and emphasized that energy and water  
infrastructure continue to emerge as top regional priorities and will be central components of the  
Century Plan moving forward.  
The Executive Director's report was presented.  
CONSENT AGENDA  
Approval of the Group Vote  
A motion was made by MemberꢀNancy Rotering, seconded by MemberꢀNina Idemudia, to approve  
agenda items 3.01 through 4.01 under the Consent Agenda. The motion carried by the following vote:  
Aye:  
Gerald Bennett, Frank Beal, Matthew Brolley, Jada Curry, Gary Grasso, Paul Hoefert,  
Nina Idemudia, John Noak, Nancy Rotering, Joanna Ruiz, Carolyn Schofield, Anne  
Sheahan and Matthew Walsh  
Absent:  
Richard Reinbold  
Non-Voting: Kouros Mohammadian  
Not Present: Jung Yoon  
3.0  
Approval of Minutes  
3.01 Minutes from April 8, 2026  
26-111  
26-110  
Attachments: 4.8.26 CMAP Board meeting minutes draft  
Agenda items 3.01 through 4.01ꢀwere approved under the Consent Agenda.  
4.0  
Other Items for Approval  
4.01 Report on Line of Credit (LOC) utilization  
Attachments: Memo - Report on Line of Credit (LOC) utilization  
Agenda items 3.01 through 4.01ꢀwere approved under the Consent Agenda.  
REGULAR AGENDA  
5.0  
Information Items  
5.01 Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) update  
26-120  
Attachments: Memo - CCAP update  
Nora Beck, principal in the Regional Policy and Implementation Division, presented an overview of the  
Comprehensive Climate Action Plan for Greater Chicago and provided an update on its release and  
next steps. The plan was developed in partnership with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and the  
Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission and was formally submitted to the U.S. EPA’s  
Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program, which funded the work, and has now been publicly  
released on CMAP’s website.  
Beck explained that the plan offers a datadriven roadmap to reduce regional greenhouse gas  
emissions by 86 percent by 2050 through more than 30 strategies across multiple sectors. She  
emphasized that the analysis shows that state and local action alone can achieve a substantial portion  
of needed reductions - up to 58 percent - demonstrating that meaningful progress does not rely  
solely on federal intervention.  
Nora Beck provided additional detail on the central role of the electric grid, noting that nearly every  
major strategy in the plan depends on a grid that is both cleaner and more capable of meeting rising  
demand driven by building electrification, electric vehicles, and industrial transitions. She explained  
that generation, transmission, and distribution systems operate on different timelines and under  
different authorities, which makes coordinated planning critical. She also highlighted emerging  
uncertainty created by rapid growth in energyintensive sectors, such as data centers and advanced  
manufacturing, and stressed the importance of local decisions in shaping energy demand through  
land use, building practices, and distributed energy resources.  
Nora Beck then focused on the buildings sector, which currently accounts for roughly 35 percent of  
the region’s emissions. She explained that buildings are one of the most actionable sectors because  
state and local governments already control many of the policy levers involved. The plan identifies  
three major components of the building transition: electrification, energy efficiency, and improved  
building codes and performance standards. She noted that state and local action alone could achieve  
77 percent of the reductions needed from buildings by 2050. She also outlined how municipalities can  
lead by example through public building retrofits, support implementation by removing local barriers  
to solar, storage, and EV infrastructure, and advocate for statewide policies that help scale these  
efforts.  
Throughout the presentation, she emphasized that implementation will require not only policy  
alignment, but also funding, technical assistance, and peer support. Many tools already exist -  
including utility programs, state financing, and regional networks - but need stronger regional  
coordination. Beck concluded by highlighting that the plan’s findings align closely with ongoing  
Century Plan engagement, particularly around energy reliability, equitable implementation, and  
longterm resilience.  
Board members engaged in a detailed discussion on topics such as the limits of local versus regional  
control over transmission, opportunities for battery storage, affordability concerns, implications for  
housing costs, incentives for rooftop solar on commercial buildings, and the role of CMAP’s technical  
assistance in supporting coordinated climate action.  
The CCAP update was presented.  
5.02 The Century Plan update  
26-118  
Attachments: Memo - The Century Plan update  
The Board participated in an extended panel discussion on regional energy challenges, grid  
modernization, and implications for economic competitiveness. The panel featured Mark Pruitt,  
principal of The Power Bureau and former director of the Illinois Power Agency; Desislava Dikova of  
Pure Lithium, a battery researcher and policy lead; Commissioner Stacey Paradis of the Illinois  
Commerce Commission; and Andrew Plenge, Vice President of Strategy and Energy Policy at ComEd.  
The panel discussed why energy and grid modernization have become urgent priorities across the  
CMAP region. Panelists agreed that electrification, climate pressures, data center growth, and  
increased reliance on digital infrastructure are creating rapid load growth, while grid components -  
generation, transmission, and distribution - operate under different regulatory and investment  
timelines. They emphasized that grid modernization requires coordinated planning and significant  
investment to maintain reliability, manage peak demand, and enable economic development.  
(CMAP Board Member Jung Yoon joined the meeting at 10:19 a.m.)  
Mark Pruitt highlighted the region’s emerging capacity constraints, noting that while Illinois  
historically exported power, retirements of large power plants have shifted the balance. He stressed  
that without sufficient capacity, the region risks losing opportunities for new housing, industrial  
development, and data centers. He also noted the long lead times required to build new utility scale  
resources and encouraged municipalities to deepen their understanding of reliability standards,  
hosting capacity maps, and local substation impacts.  
Commissioner Paradis addressed the regulatory landscape, explaining that energy prices and system  
adequacy have become central policy issues nationwide. She outlined the state’s new responsibilities  
under recently passed legislation, including the development of a statewide integrated resource plan  
and the need to coordinate electric and gas system planning. She emphasized affordability as the  
ICC’s top concern and underscored the importance of accurate load forecasting to prevent under or  
overbuilding system infrastructure.  
Desi Dikova spoke about the potential role of advanced battery storage in strengthening the grid. She  
described Pure Lithium’s high density battery chemistry and vertically integrated domestic supply  
chain model, noting that the technology could support microgrids, resilience hubs, and decentralized  
energy solutions if scaled with appropriate public sector support.  
Andrew Plenge discussed ComEd’s investments in modern distribution technologies, distributed  
generation integration, and demand side management programs. He highlighted Illinois’ strong  
position relative to other metropolitan areas, noting high reliability and competitive rates, while  
acknowledging system pressures from largescale users and climate driven weather events. He  
encouraged municipalities to engage early with ComEd when considering new developments, rooftop  
solar, or energy intensive land uses to ensure accurate cost and capacity assessments.  
Throughout the discussion, Board members raised questions about data center siting, local zoning  
authority, the tradeoff between solar farms and other land uses, the public’s understanding of energy  
infrastructure, and how CMAP can support municipalities with technical guidance. Panelists  
underscored that local governments are uniquely positioned to educate residents, streamline  
permitting, integrate land use and energy planning, and advocate for their communities in state level  
processes.  
The panel concluded by emphasizing that coordinated action - across utilities, regulators, local  
governments, and regional partners - is essential to maintaining affordability, achieving climate goals,  
and preparing the region for long-term economic growth.  
(CMAP Board Member Nancy Rotering left the meeting at 10:45 a.m.)  
The Century Plan update was presented.  
5.03 Legislative update  
Attachments: Memo - Legislative update  
26-117  
Aꢀsubstantialꢀlegislative update was provided in the Board’s agenda packet; no verbal presentation  
was given during the meeting.  
The legislative update was received and filed.  
6.0  
7.0  
Other Business  
There was no other business before the CMAP Board.  
Member Nina Idemudia requested that future panels include community-based and diverse  
perspectives, noting that the discussion had not addressed environmental justice, land use, or  
impacts on vulnerable communities. She emphasized the importance of grounding expert panels in  
CMAP’s values and incorporating social, political, and demographic context to provide a fuller picture.  
Public Comment  
This is an opportunity for comments from members of the audience.  
Garland Armstrong commented on the importance of ensuring that ADA communities are included in  
discussions about energy, infrastructure, and preparedness and encouraged CMAP to conduct  
outreach and provide information in accessible formats and multiple languages.  
8.0  
9.0  
Next Meeting  
The next meeting is scheduled for June 10, 2026.  
Adjournment  
A motion was made by MemberꢀGary Grasso, seconded by MemberꢀFrank Beal, toꢀadjourn the  
meeting. The motion carried by the following vote:  
Aye:  
Gerald Bennett, Frank Beal, Matthew Brolley, Jada Curry, Gary Grasso, Paul Hoefert,  
Nina Idemudia, John Noak, Joanna Ruiz, Carolyn Schofield, Anne Sheahan, Matthew  
Walsh and Jung Yoon  
Absent:  
Richard Reinbold  
Non-Voting: Kouros Mohammadian  
Not Present: Nancy Rotering  
The meeting was adjourned atꢀ11:03ꢀa.m.  
Minutes prepared by Maren LutterbachꢀusingꢀMicrosoftꢀCopilotꢀM365.