In 2013 former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his investment in the Buffalo Tesla Gigafactory through his “Buffalo Billion” program. Through this program the former governor committed nearly $1 billion in state funds to build the factory. Whereas the initial project was meant for solar focused manufacturing it has since been used for other purposes, with current solar production only being a smaller part of the factory’s whole operations. Since the controversy of the investment it has faced criticism concerning job creation, economic return on investment, and the bid-rigging scandal that involved two key state officials. As of 2025 New York State’s Empire State Development agency is faced with renewing the Tesla Plant lease and negotiating any new terms affiliated with a lease extension. The public scrutiny regarding Tesla meeting their original lease obligations has been the controversial. The $1 billion Gigafactory project from 2014, has faced criticism for failing to meet its original community reinvestment goals.
Senator Baskin, along with her colleagues in Albany, demand to pause the extension of the Tesla lease and examine the possibility of other manufacturers relocating to this facility. She believes it is imperative that this 10-year-old center be used to attract more workers who will make a living wage and enjoy job security. While Tesla has been in Buffalo for 10 years and employs up to 2,000 workers, the potential of this company has never met expectations. New York State cannot continue to negotiate with a company that received $950 million in state taxpayer money.