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Sen. Griffo invites Tesla CEO Elon Musk to consider building manufacturing plant in Massena

Posted 5/1/15

MASSENA -- Following a social media campaign attempting to attract Tesla Motors to open a plant in Massena, Sen. Joe Griffo, R-Rome, has invited the company’s CEO to discuss the possibility. “I …

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Sen. Griffo invites Tesla CEO Elon Musk to consider building manufacturing plant in Massena

Posted

MASSENA -- Following a social media campaign attempting to attract Tesla Motors to open a plant in Massena, Sen. Joe Griffo, R-Rome, has invited the company’s CEO to discuss the possibility.

“I echo the many residents of my district when I say that we believe Massena and its surrounding North Country community offer the economic incentives, manufacturing history, affordable energy and ready workforce that would allow Tesla Motors to thrive in a way that is mutually beneficial to your company and our region,” Griffo wrote to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The Facebook group “Tesla Motors for Massena” has about 9,300 members. Their efforts included a recent “Twitter bomb,” meaning their members en masse sent tweets to Musk and the Tesla Motors page.

They are also working with local economic development groups and the Local Government Task Force, which is overseeing cleanup at the former General Motors site.

They hope the electric car manufacturer will choose Massena because of Alcoa, low-rate hydropower and a workforce with experience in the auto industry

See our earlier story about the group.

Griffo’s letter in its entirety:

“Dear Mr. Musk,

It is your stated goal as co-founder and CEO of Tesla Motors to design, engineer and manufacture a more affordable electric car for the everyday consumer. As chairman of the New York State Senate Energy & Telecommunications Committee, I would like to encourage you to consider further pursuing that vision by establishing a new manufacturing plant in the town of Massena, New York.

I echo the many residents of my district when I say that we believe Massena and its surrounding North Country community offer the economic incentives, manufacturing history, affordable energy and ready workforce that would allow Tesla Motors to thrive in a way that is mutually beneficial to your company and our region.

Massena has a population of residents who used to build cars when General Motors operated a manufacturing plant in the location. They would wholeheartedly welcome the opportunity to once again dedicate themselves to the kind of work they know best.

In Massena, Tesla Motors would also find a perpetual flow of potential future employees that have completed their higher education at multiple colleges in the region, including Clarkson University, with its engineering program among the top in the nation.

Massena offers Tesla Motors the opportunity to develop a partnership with Alcoa aluminum to provide the metals necessary for production of electric vehicles. And the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project could provide a ready supply of affordable and renewable hydropower.

Efficient shipping alternatives can also be found in Massena, where its location on the St. Lawrence Seaway links the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The Canadian border is also just minutes away.

We are confident the town of Massena has everything Tesla Motors would hope to find in the next location it chooses for further expansion. Tesla Motors would find itself welcomed by a proud, hard-working community that values a business leader with vision and commitment, and we hope Tesla Motors will consider sharing that embrace.

I look forward to discussing your thoughts on this matter, so please feel free to contact my office at 315-793-9072.

Sincerely,

Joseph A. Griffo

Senator”