Stantec achieves milestone in ComEd habitat restoration and vegetation management

Stantec, a global leader in design and engineering, has achieved a milestone in developing and implementing habitat programs for Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), an energy delivery company serving northern Illinois.

Stantec and ComEd have worked together for 15 years to manage native prairie habitats primarily within ComEd’s electric transmission rights-of-way. With pollinator populations worldwide in decline, Stantec’s work has helped ComEd expand pollinator habitat for the benefit of native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Since 2009, Stantec has helped to expand ComEd’s native prairie habitat from only a few acres of actively managed sites to more than 500 acres, including those managed by Stantec and partner groups. These sites include some of the highest ecologically valued habitats in Illinois. Of the more than 40 sites managed by Stantec and community partners, 6 are within designated Illinois Nature Preserves.

ComEd’s native prairie program also engages communities and children. When ComEd began working with the Conservation Foundation to involve local elementary-age children in a pollinator habitat restoration, Stantec helped implement a field-based curriculum that includes nature talks, native plantings, and virtual education programs. ComEd was awarded the 2019 Monarch Sustainer of the Year Award from the Pollinator Partnership, which recognizes a US business showing exceptional leadership and action in providing habitat and awareness for monarch butterflies.

“ComEd has demonstrated early and extraordinary leadership in protecting and increasing pollinator habitat on its transmission rights-of-way,” said Amy Flansburg, Stantec’s ecologist who leads the ComEd pollinator program. “Their commitment to maintaining and restoring this habitat shows we can make a difference together. When we visit these sites, we can document many species benefitting from this critical habitat.”

Since 2012, Stantec has also helped manage more than 15,000 acres of incompatible, woody vegetation along ComEd’s rights-of-way, documenting a significant reduction of species that are unsuitable with transmission lines. Vegetation work is often performed in sensitive environments such as Illinois Nature Preserves, Illinois Natural Area Inventory sites, Critical Habitat Areas, and state and county preserves.

“We’re proud of the work we’ve done to reduce woody vegetation and provide increased service reliability for ComEd’s transmission infrastructure,” said Eric Johnson, Stantec’s senior restoration ecologist who oversees ComEd’s vegetation management work. “We’ve worked to find more efficient methods of vegetation management, reducing our need for herbicide by 50 percent year over year in many instances.”

ComEd maintains more than 5,300 miles of overhead electric lines in its transmission system, crossing prairies, wetlands, forests, agricultural lands, suburban and urban areas, and along highways and railroad corridors. A vital aspect of the company’s environmental commitment is the protection of wildlife habitat and the assurance of biodiversity.

“Our 15-year partnership with Stantec to manage and enhance wildlife habitat on our transmission rights-of-ways has been essential to meeting our environmental goals,” said Neena Hemmady, vice president of projects and contracts at ComEd. “We’re proud that local wildlife, particularly pollinators, have been the beneficiary of our steady focus on environmental stewardship.”

About ComEd
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 energy company serving more than 10.5 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the US. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

About Stantec
Stantec empowers clients, people, and communities to rise to the world’s greatest challenges at a time when the world faces more unprecedented concerns than ever before.

We are a global leader in sustainable architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting. ​Our professionals deliver the expertise, technology, and innovation communities need to manage aging infrastructure, demographic and population changes, the energy transition, and more. ​

Today’s communities transcend geographic borders. At Stantec, community means everyone with an interest in the work that we do—from our project teams and industry colleagues to our clients and the people our work impacts. The diverse perspectives of our partners and interested parties drive us to think beyond what’s previously been done on critical issues like climate change, digital transformation, and future-proofing our cities and infrastructure.  ​

We are designers, engineers, scientists, project managers, and strategic advisors. We innovate at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships to advance communities everywhere, so that together we can redefine what’s possible.​

Stantec trades on the TSX and the NYSE under the symbol STN. 

Media Contact 
Chris Niskanen             
Stantec Media Relations
Ph: (612) 747-8613
chris.niskanen@stantec.com