Jul. 21—PLATTSBURGH — It's all blue skies ahead for the North Country.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, joined by Senior Advisor to President Joe Biden and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, toured Plattsburgh's Beta Technologies Friday to get an up close look at the work being done by the leading electric aerospace manufacturer.
CREATIVE INCENTIVES
Gillibrand is committed to bringing clean electric infrastructure to the North Country and her visit with Landrieu will help support federal infrastructure investment throughout the region.
"What we're doing here today is creating incentives for the private sectors to help build a clean energy economy with some massive public investments," Landrieu said during a brief press conference after their tour Friday.
"When the private and public sector work together, we can boost domestic manufacturing, diversify our workforce, and strengthen our supply chains. We can build a better and smarter clean energy economy."
HOW TO INNOVATE
Gillibrand told Landrieu his visit was essential because he got to see firsthand why electric infrastructure in airports is needed up and down the country and throughout the entire economy.
"This (also) shows another vision about how to innovate transportation for lots of applications like medical use, for emergency applications, as well as military uses and delivery uses," the senator said.
"We saw a lot of challenges with our supply chain during COVID, and so understanding how we can fix those supply chain problems ourselves with made in America here, in the United States here, and in Upstate New York is pretty exciting."
Gillibrand and Landrieu were joined by CEO of Beta Technologies Kyle Clark; Assemblyman Billy Jones (D- Chateaugay Lake); President and CEO of the North Country Chamber of Commerce Garry Douglas; Clinton County Legislature Chairman Mark Henry; Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman; and executive director of the Clinton County Industrial Development Agency Molly Ryan.
Clark said now is the time for the aerospace industry to go electric.
"Aerospace has not gone electric yet. Every other form of transportation has gone electric," Clark said.
"At the rate at which I see engines becoming more efficient — cars are going electric, buses are going electric, trains are hybrid already and going more electric — if we don't do anything about it in aerospace, we, unfortunately, will be the number one producer of carbon emissions by 2035. It is absolutely imperative to do something about the aerospace industry."
MASSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE ASSET
Clark also said their electric aircrafts will look to cut costs, create jobs and give rural communities the opportunity to make connections globally.
"There's a massive infrastructure asset that is underutilized. It's the 4,300 airports across the United States that connect these communities for critical things like medical and for practical things like industrial that are underutilized and it's because the cost of aviation is just a little bit out of reach," Clark said.
"With an electric aircraft, you not only are more sustainable, but it costs less, you don't pay a green premium, and in many cases, the baseline costs half as much. and all of a sudden you open up the opportunity for people that live and work in places like this or Vermont or New Hampshire or Mississippi to compete on a national and thus a global scale with more economic transportation with infrastructure that already exists."
Gillibrand said one piece of legislation last year already invested billions of dollars in energy infrastructure.
"That bill invested in renewable energies, electric vehicles. It invested in infrastructure for electric vehicles, it invested in everything that you'll need to build long-term to have energy efficiency and energy independence," she said.
"So that was a lot of investment. That will take 10 years to actually spend all that money and that money can be spent here in the North Country. It can be spent through a lot of the work that this company is trying to do."
Douglas said now more than ever, infrastructure is about the development and production of green transportation and not just roads and bridges.
"BETA Technologies is a standout part of our region's diverse transportation equipment and aerospace cluster, symbolizing the present and future of the North Country economy and its significant place in the changing landscape of North American transportation," he said.
"We thank Senator Gillibrand for her continued, active interest in supporting this key element of our future economy by bringing Mitch Landrieu here to learn about BETA and our other companies and their technologies. Every such visitor leaves as a valuable new ambassador and partner."
GREEN ECONOMY 'NOT A FAD'
Cashman shared that he believes the community knows that the green economy is the wave of the future.
"Beta knows that. It is not a fad," he said.
"It is companies like Beta that will take our local economy and our national economy to new heights. So we look forward to the growth and the direction that you're taking us in."
Jones similarly said "this is the future."
"We saw this many years ago, and now it's paying dividends," he said.
"It will for many years to come for our area and for the state and quite frankly, the country."
Henry said "To see it grow to what it is here today, and what the plans are for the future, and to kind of have been in on that at the beginning, and to see where we are now, is really exciting for this county, for our area, for all of us."
"The future of aviation is here. It's here in Clinton County. It's here in Plattsburgh. It is here with Beta."
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Twitter: CarlySNewton
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