Press release
ComEd and UIC Safeguard Nearly 4,000 Acres in Northern Illinois as Pollinator Habitats
ComEd reaches significant progress on multi-year goal in 2021; has committed to conserving more than 11,000 acres to pollinator habitats by 2025
About this update from Exelon Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"\nComEd reaches significant progress on multi-year goal in 2021; has committed to conserving more than 11,000 acres to pollinator habitats by 2025\n\n CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nComEd today joined the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in announcing it has reached a new milestone in pollinator habitat conservation, with nearly 4,000 acres of powerline corridor land now deemed pollinator habitats. Efforts to conserve pollinator habitats are part of ComEd’s pledge to preserve 11,700 acres of utility owned land by 2025 for habitats that support the monarch butterfly, which is at risk of extinction.\n\nThe announcement comes in time for National Pollinator Week, which runs June 20-26, and is designed to raise awareness about the critical role that pollinators play in preserving our ecosystems.\n\n\"At ComEd, we have an important role to play in growing green space and conserving wildlife habitats across the communities we are proud to serve,” said ComEd CEO Gil C. Quiniones. “With nearly 4,000 acres of land serving as pollinator habitats and ambitious plans to expand on this in the years ahead, ComEd is helping deliver a more climate-friendly environment for local wildlife, while promoting quality of life for 9 million people who live in northern Illinois.”\n\nIn the last 20 years, the population of monarch butterflies has declined significantly, putting the species at risk of extinction. A primary cause of this decline is the loss of habitat containing native flowering plants that butterflies need for food and breeding, including milkweed species.\n\nIn December 2020, ComEd made its pledge to protect pollinator land when it applied for a Certificate of Inclusion within the nationwide Monarch Butterfly Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA), administered by UIC. The Monarch CCAA is a formal agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and non-federal property owners and land managers to engage in efforts to protect the monarch butterfly, which is currently being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Two years into the pledge, ComEd is on pace to meet its goal.\n\n“ComEd has long been a leader in the utility industry with their environmental stewardship programs, some dating back decades,” said Iris Caldwell, program manager at the UIC Energy Resources Center. “The CCAA provides a great ...