Guest of honor: Binghamton's Stanley Whittingham attending State of the Union
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Dr. Stanley Whittingham will be on the national stage Tuesday night highlighting Binghamton’s role in America’s growing battery economy.
Whittingham, a Binghamton University professor and Nobel Prize winner, will be attending the State of the Union as a guest of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Whittingham received the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his critical role in the development of lithium-ion batteries. Last September, Whittingham’s work helped Binghamton University land over $113 million in state and federal dollars for the New Energy New York project, which aims to turn the Southern Tier into the nation’s hub for battery research and manufacturing.
The project received over $63 million in federal investment through the Build Back Better Regional Challenge championed by Schumer.
“Whittingham and I have worked together nonstop over the last year to get Binghamton its historic award,” said Schumer. “That’s going to help supercharge the Southern Tier’s economy. Stan and I stood together at many events to push for this investment. We even wrote an op-ed together in the Press & Sun on the importance of rebuilding America’s battery industry and why Binghamton is the best place to do it.”
Only two Regional Challenge projects received larger awards than Binghamton's $63.7 million.
"We could not do what we are doing without the Senator's support and without all of the federal programs funding domestic manufacturing and technology innovation," said Whittingham. "I am honored to be invited to attend the State of the Union as the Senator's guest and thank the Senator for all of his support for this program and for Binghamton University through the years."
Why Sen. Schumer invited Professor Whittingham to Washington
Members of Congress are permitted to bring one guest to the State of the Union, the annual address delivered by the president in the House Chamber. Schumer, as Senate Majority Leader, can welcome additional guests.
The senator said having Whittingham at the U.S. Capitol during President Biden’s speech will highlight how important the battery industry is to the nation’s future, as well as Binghamton’s role in bringing manufacturing jobs back from overseas and powering the fight against climate change.
The New Energy New York project includes the creation of Battery-NY, a battery technology and manufacturing center hosted by Binghamton University on the Huron Campus in Endicott. The Huron Campus is also home to iM3NY, a growing lithium battery manufacturer with ties to BU. A massive demolition of former IBM buildings is in the works to make way for the company’s expansion.
New Energy New York has been projected to create 8,000 jobs over the next decade as the battery industry ramps up in scale.
“Whittingham’s cutting-edge research represents what could really be the future of the Southern Tier and much of Upstate New York — thousands of good-paying jobs in clean energy technology manufacturing,” said Schumer. “Jobs with a real future, not joining an industry where you get a job and say ‘I don’t know if they’ll even be open five years from now.’ These jobs are just going to grow and grow in the future.
“The idea of creating thousands of good-paying jobs making batteries here in Binghamton is just breathtaking for the city. Some of the glory days they’ve had in the past could be restored.”
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How recent legislation is impacting the battery industry
Schumer said he encouraged the Biden Administration to highlight Binghamton in the president’s address. A shout-out would make sense, as Biden’s first term has been a boon for America’s nascent battery industry. The $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge was funded through the American Rescue Plan.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act included over $6 billion for battery manufacturing, processing and recycling grants. The Inflation Reduction Act featured over $70 billion in tax credits to build and expand “advanced energy” manufacturing facilities, including battery production, and accelerate manufacturing of clean energy products and supply chains.
The CHIPS and Science Act, meanwhile, featured the largest-ever increase in funding for the National Science Foundation. Binghamton University is applying for additional funds through the National Science Foundation to “piggyback” onto the New Energy New York project.
“You can be sure that BU, Binghamton, the Southern Tier and people like Dr. Whittingham are going to benefit from that,” said Schumer. “The funding I delivered to Binghamton through the Regional Challenge is the jolt of electricity Binghamton needs. With more federal investment on the horizon because of the bills we passed, bringing Whittingham down to DC is sure to boost and supercharge Binghamton even more as this project grows."
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Binghamton University's Whittingham to attend State of the Union
