Vice President in St. Cloud To Promote Electric Vehicle Production

(KNSI) – Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting St. Cloud Thursday to highlight electric vehicle production.

The VP will be making a stop at New Flyer. The company makes electric and compressed natural gas buses mainly for public transit. It’s one of the city’s largest employers, with more than 500 workers. Harris is expected to tour the plant and speak.

Last summer, St. Cloud hosted the first Recharge St. Cloud Electric Vehicle Expo and is working on being more EV-friendly with 41 chargers around town. Sartell recently announced the installation of 16 EV chargers in the city, and Minnesota also announced the installation of chargers along Interstate 94.

The city is working on going green in other ways too. Within the last year, the St. Cloud Public Works Department was given its fifth Utility of the Future Today award in six years for going above and beyond in innovative ways by thinking outside the box regarding wastewater and stormwater treatment. The city was also one of three communities honored for using renewable energy at its wastewater treatment facility and received the Blazing Star Award from Conservation Minnesota. It’s the first time the city has been given the Blazing Star award, which honors the years of taking steps toward generating renewable energy.

The public also got to know their H2O and learned what happens to rain after it falls from the sky, how St. Cloud keeps its waterways clean, and even gave a sneak peek of what’s below the streets.

During last year’s State of the City address, St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis pledged to make the city carbon-neutral by 2038.

KNSI News will be covering her visit.

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