Chicago City Wire

State Rep. Brad Stephens (R-Rosemont) recently commented that Illinois continues to miss out on opportunities to attract electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing business, despite efforts by the Pritzker administration to incentivize EV production in the state.

"Electric vehicle battery plants bring billions in investments and employ thousands of workers, but Illinois keeps losing out to other states," Stephens said in a Facebook post. "We have to make our state the best place to do business to create new jobs and opportunities for Illinois families."

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act into law in November with the goal of attracting EV production to the state, a government press release said. The law offers incentives and tax credits for businesses that manufacture EV batteries.

"By signing the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act into law, we're making clear to the world that Illinois is open for business and on track to be the best place in the nation to manufacture and drive an electric vehicle," Pritzker said in the release. "It's no secret that transportation is the leading source of climate pollution - so we're incentivizing green economic development. It's good for business - and it's the right thing to do. The Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act is about acknowledging there doesn't need to be a trade-off between a cleaner environment and more jobs. We can do both, and today we take a giant leap forward in that quest."

In spite of Pritzker's efforts, EV battery makers are choosing other states, such as Indiana, North Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio to house their production facilities; a recent Crain's Chicago Business report said. General Motors and LG Energy, which are partnering to construct an EV battery plant, recently announced that they chose Indiana for their site. Rivian, which assembles EV trucks in Normal, Ill., has chosen Georgia for the site of its first battery production facility. Bad state finances, high taxes and the long process for getting permits for new factories are some of the factors contributing to Illinois' reputation as not being an employer-friendly state.

Chief Executive magazine conducted a survey of approximately 700 business owners from every state, and the results ranked Illinois 48th overall, meaning it is the third-worst state in the country for business, The Center Square reported. Only California and New York were ranked lower than Illinois. Texas, Florida and Tennessee were ranked as the top states for doing business. 

“We’re too corrupt,” Ted Dabrowski, president of Wirepoints, told The Center Square. “Our taxes are way too high. We have way too many regulations and we have massive debts, and that is plenty of reason enough for companies to not want to locate in Illinois, not to mention the state is shrinking in population so it's not a growth state to put your business in.”