Touting the Biden administration’s investment in electric vehicles, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Minnesota on Feb. 9 and talked about infrastructure bill funds supporting manufacturers like New Flyer.
Harris toured the New Flyer manufacturing plant in St. Cloud. The company has 600 employees and makes electric buses that are on the streets of communities nationwide.
“Here in St. Cloud, you are not just building better buses. You are building a better America,” Harris said. “We have invested over $5.5 billion to put thousands of new, electric transit busses on the street of our nation.”
The $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that President Joe Biden signed last November is projected to provide more than $850 million over five years to help upgrade public transit in Minnesota.
“Minnesota, this is a transformative moment,” Harris said. “The climate crisis has presented a historic challenge to our nation and to the world. It also presents a historic opportunity to create new jobs; to drive new innovation; to generate prosperity in all communities.”
‘Political Theater’
The Minnesota Republican Party called Harris’ visit “more political theater from the Biden administration and Minnesota Democrats.”David Hann, who serves as the state’s GOP chair, noted that Biden said he wants to use American resources in infrastructure projects and electric vehicle manufacturing, but in January, he banned mining in Minnesota that could generate precious metals to make the batteries needed to build electric vehicles.
On Feb. 7, Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill focused on reducing carbon emissions across the state and creating additional clean-energy jobs.
The legislation requires Minnesota utilities to transition to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040.
“What this bill does and makes it very clear that no longer is this debate about moving towards clean energy future on sustainability of the planet and our economic future are no longer divided, they run hand in hand,” Walz said.
Harris praised Walz for signing the bill.
Largest Heavy-Duty Transit Bus Maker
New Flyer is the largest heavy-duty transit bus manufacturer in North America, according to the company. It makes a zero-emission vehicle that is mostly battery-electric and is “the most advanced electric bus on the market today,” New Flyer claims.“Every day, millions of Americans ride the bus to go to work, to school, to church, to the grocery store—to wherever they need to get,” Harris told the crowd at the New Flyer plant. ”America’s buses get people where they need to go. They are essential, and they are in desperate need of upgrading.
“The majority of our nation’s buses run on diesel fuel. Well, here’s the thing: Diesel exhaust is a poison,” Harris added.
“But there is a solution to all of this—and that solution is parked right over there,” Harris said, directing her attention to three electric buses parked behind her that were being shipped to Minneapolis, New York City, and Rochester, New York.
Harris marveled at the New Flyer bus, calling it “a model of American innovation. No exhaust, no diesel smell. The bus has wifi and even USB outlets next to every seat.”
The vice president’s visit is part of the Biden administration’s post-State of the Union barnstorming tour this week, where the president and members of his cabinet scheduled trips to 20 states.
While Harris was in Minnesota, Biden traveled to Tampa, Florida, where he reinforced his promise to protect Social Security and Medicare.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm visited Carson City, Nevada, to announce a battery manufacturing investment.
Lake Charles, Indiana, was Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg’s destination. There, he discussed a $150 million grant to replace a highway bridge.
