Harris: New Flyer An Example of America’s Future

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Vice President Kamala Harris spent a few hours in St. Cloud Thursday afternoon.

She made an appearance at New Flyer highlighting how the Administration's investments in electric vehicles and push for clean energy.

Harris says electric buses are the key to the future of public transportation across in America.

Which is why since taking office, together with Democrats and Republicans, we have invested over $5-billion to put thousands of new electric transit buses on the streets of our nation.

The last time a Vice President was in St. Cloud was in 2009 when Joe Biden was here. He was also at New Flyer.

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Harris says back then, Biden called the St. Cloud company an example of the future, a statement she says still remains true.

A lot has changed in the past 14-years, but one thing has not. You are still an example of America's future.

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis says back in 2014 the city set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2018. He says they reach that goal but succeeded it. Kleis says they are now focused on a new set of goals.

And that goal is by 2028 to have the city as a whole to be 100% clean energy and by 2038 to have transportation to be at 100% clean energy.

The event was not open to the public, however several invited guest got a chance to be in the same room at the Vice President.

Hedy Tripp says this is her second time being a part of a Vice President's trip to St. Cloud.

I was here when Joe Biden was the Vice President and he had come because of the buses that were using recycled cooking oil. Now we are talking about electric buses, so that evolution has been happening between the two Vice Presidents. It's an historic moment.

New Flyer has been making electric buses for several years now.