A new mission could be coming to the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. As part of President Obama's recently announced initiative to advance solar deployment and energy efficiency, the base could become a training site for veterans seeking a career in the growing field.
Under the President's plan the Department of Energy will offer job training at three sites across the nation.
Congressman Brian Higgins is urging the DOE to pick the Falls air base. With SolarCity's new South Buffalo plant promising to create 3,000 jobs, Higgins believes there is "an extraordinary opportunity for the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station to really become the incubator of talent to work at that plant and in that industry."
Roger Woodworth of the Veterans One-Stop Center of WNY says the program could get veterans back in the workforce at a livable wage.
"It allows our veterans to build sustainable career paths while fueling a emerging industry."
The region is home to thousands of veterans.
Higgins says the training center would help build the local economy through an expanded mission for the base which has been threatened with closure in the past.