Factbase Transcripts

Adam Lorentz

Neutral

00:00:00-00:00:04 (5 sec)

"So come around the corner here, and I'll let you go by Laurie there, Mr. President." 1

Joe Biden

Very Positive

00:00:04-00:00:06 (2 sec)

"God loves you, Laurie." 2

Laurie Nederloe

Neutral

00:00:06-00:00:08 (2 sec)

"Hello there." 3

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:00:08-00:00:09 (1 sec)

"How are you?" 4

Laurie Nederloe

Positive

00:00:09-00:00:11 (2 sec)

"I'm good. How are you?" 5

Joe Biden

Leans Positive

00:00:11-00:00:12 (1 sec)

"I got some [Inaudible], kidding." 6

Laurie Nederloe

Neutral

00:00:12-00:00:13 (2 sec)

"Oh, you do. We're matching." 7

Joe Biden

Positive

00:00:13-00:00:14 ( sec)

"Good to see you." 8

Laurie Nederloe

Very Positive

00:00:14-00:00:16 (2 sec)

"Good to see you, too. Thanks for coming." 9

Joe Biden

Very Positive

00:00:16-00:00:18 (2 sec)

"Good to see you. OK." 10

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:00:18-00:00:31 (13 sec)

"So, uh, right here, we're standing in front of one of our hybrid buses, and, uh, it's being operated right now by one of our amazing bus drivers, Laurie Nederloe of the city of La Crosse MTU. So just give her a round of applause for being here today. Thank you." 11

Laurie Nederloe

Somewhat Positive

00:00:31-00:00:32 (1 sec)

"Thank you." 12

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:00:32-00:00:46 (14 sec)

"So, uh, like I said, you're standing in front of a hybrid bus, and I just want to talk about that real quick. So, uh, this is one of the three hybrid buses that we have in the city of La Crosse. And this is a small portion of what we're doing for our commitment to sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint." 13

Adam Lorentz

Positive

00:00:46-00:01:12 (26 sec)

"So the three buses that we have right now, these three hybrids, they're going to be in addition to what we have coming. In the next 24 months, we're going to have two more hybrids and, I'm proud to say, the first two fully electric buses in the city of La Crosse. And what our goal is, our goal is to become the model for systems our size to be able to roll out and do this with different styles of buses that we have to eliminate those diesel buses and bring these types of electric and hybrid buses into place." 14

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:01:12-00:01:20 (8 sec)

"So I can talk all day about buses, but the really important thing is the people that operate the buses. So I want to ask Laurie a couple of questions if that's OK." 15

Joe Biden

Somewhat Positive

00:01:20-00:01:20 ( sec)

"Sure." 16

Adam Lorentz

Neutral

00:01:20-00:01:26 (6 sec)

"So, Laurie, what do passengers feel when they see a hybrid bus pull up as opposed to a diesel bus?" 17

Laurie Nederloe

Neutral

00:01:26-00:01:28 (2 sec)

"It's a lot quieter." 18

Adam Lorentz

Neutral

00:01:28-00:01:29 (2 sec)

"A lot quieter, right?" 19

Laurie Nederloe

Neutral

00:01:29-00:01:32 (2 sec)

"A lot quieter, and it doesn't have that diesel smell." 20

Adam Lorentz

Neutral

00:01:32-00:01:35 (3 sec)

"Right. The fumes and the emissions are a lot less compared to a diesel bus." 21

Laurie Nederloe

Neutral

00:01:35-00:01:35 ( sec)

"Right." 22

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:01:35-00:01:41 (5 sec)

"And I guess more importantly for you sitting in the driver's seat, what do you feel like when you're driving a hybrid bus?" 23

Laurie Nederloe

Neutral

00:01:41-00:01:44 (4 sec)

"Same thing. It's quiet. You don't have that diesel smell." 24

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:01:44-00:01:57 (12 sec)

"And one thing that we try to do is we're doing a type of swap of buses. We try to make sure that we get the people that actually have to operate on day to day. So, I guess is it safe to say the union and the employees are excited for more hybrid buses?" 25

Laurie Nederloe

Somewhat Positive

00:01:57-00:01:58 (1 sec)

"Absolutely. Yep." 26

Adam Lorentz

Slightly Positive

00:01:58-00:01:58 (1 sec)

"Yeah. So we're looking forward --" 27

Joe Biden

Leans Negative

00:01:58-00:02:00 (1 sec)

"Not as excited as I am." 28

Adam Lorentz

Slightly Positive

00:02:00-00:02:01 (1 sec)

"Yeah, absolutely." 29

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:02:01-00:02:06 (5 sec)

"But you know I'm going to talk today, Laurie, about this infrastructure plan." 30

Laurie Nederloe

Slightly Positive

00:02:06-00:02:07 (1 sec)

"Yep." 31

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:02:07-00:02:12 (5 sec)

"And a big chunk of it is hybrid buses. A big chunk." 32

Adam Lorentz

Slightly Positive

00:02:12-00:02:12 ( sec)

"Yep." 33

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:02:12-00:02:21 (9 sec)

"And you know, what people don't realize is you got 450,000, for example, school buses out there. We're going to turn them into electric buses." 34

Adam Lorentz

Neutral

00:02:21-00:02:21 ( sec)

"Right." 35

Joe Biden

Somewhat Positive

00:02:21-00:02:26 (5 sec)

"But guess what? All those kids getting on those buses, they get those diesel fumes like you did." 36

Laurie Nederloe

Neutral

00:02:26-00:02:26 (1 sec)

"Right." 37

Joe Biden

Very Positive

00:02:26-00:02:46 (19 sec)

"Significantly causes asthma, air pollution, a whole range of things. So not only is it better, it runs better, and we're putting in these charging stations as well, God willing, if we pass this bill. But it's going to change the way in which we get around. And they're so darn quiet." 38

Laurie Nederloe

Slightly Positive

00:02:46-00:02:46 ( sec)

"Yeah." 39

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:02:46-00:02:49 (3 sec)

"And I just was at the factory down in the Carolinas." 40

Adam Lorentz

Slightly Positive

00:02:49-00:02:50 ( sec)

"Yep." 41

Joe Biden

Very Positive

00:02:50-00:02:55 (5 sec)

"And it is really amazing to see. And, you know, I used to drive a bus, Laurie, when I was, uh --" 42

Laurie Nederloe

Neutral

00:02:55-00:02:56 (1 sec)

"I heard that." 43

Joe Biden

Very Positive

00:02:56-00:03:12 (17 sec)

"In law school, I drive a school bus in, uh, in the summers for summer school to pick up extra money. And I had my -- we called those chauffeur's license. They give that to tractor-trailer as well. But, uh, and, uh, but it was, uh, -- it's going to make a big difference, and I think you're going to like it." 44

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:03:12-00:03:13 (1 sec)

"I really do." 45

Laurie Nederloe

Neutral

00:03:13-00:03:13 ( sec)

"[Inaudible]" 46

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:03:13-00:03:18 (4 sec)

"And I'm really glad you touched on that, the plant in South Carolina, because actually, that's where our buses are coming from." 47

Joe Biden

Slightly Positive

00:03:18-00:03:18 ( sec)

"Yeah." 48

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:03:18-00:03:36 (18 sec)

"And you talk about infrastructure -- what we're doing here in La Crosse, we're not just planning for these two buses here. When we do our new infrastructure and bus part, it's going to be piped and the transformers to be large enough for future growth. So this isn't just for show to put two buses out there, we want to make sure these two buses are integrated into our system, and then in the future, we have more buses to grow." 49

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:03:36-00:03:45 (9 sec)

"So -- and to keep up with infrastructure, I'd like to make things over here. But I just want to say thank you to Laurie for everything she does, and that's the reason why she's here today." 50

Joe Biden

Positive

00:03:45-00:03:48 (3 sec)

"Thanks, Laurie." 51

Laurie Nederloe

Somewhat Positive

00:03:48-00:03:49 (1 sec)

"Thank you." 52

Joe Biden

Positive

00:03:49-00:03:53 (4 sec)

"I really mean it. Thank you very much." 53

Laurie Nederloe

Very Positive

00:03:53-00:03:56 (2 sec)

"Yeah, thank you." 54

Joe Biden

Positive

00:03:56-00:03:57 (2 sec)

"I appreciate it." 55

Laurie Nederloe

Positive

00:03:57-00:03:59 (2 sec)

"Yup. Thanks for coming." 56

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:03:59-00:04:08 (9 sec)

"So over here is kind of the more infrastructure part. And really, what I like to touch on is that the importance that transportation infrastructure tying together hand in hand." 57

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:04:08-00:04:08 ( sec)

"[Inaudible]" 58

Adam Lorentz

Somewhat Positive

00:04:08-00:04:11 (3 sec)

"So in order to make sure that we have --" 59

Joe Biden

Leans Negative

00:04:11-00:04:13 (2 sec)

"The road is not clear. They are not going anywhere." 60

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:04:13-00:04:40 (27 sec)

"And you can ask Laurie. She'll tell you. You know, uh, safe and reliable road makes a big difference not only for the maintenance of our vehicles, for the ride, for the passengers, but also the operators and their health and safety well-being. So, uh, we have, uh, the man perched up here. This is Mike La Fleur." 61

Adam Lorentz

Neutral

00:04:40-00:04:44 (4 sec)

"This is our street superintendent." 62

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:04:44-00:04:46 (3 sec)

"Don't jump, Mike La Fleur." 63

Mike La Fleur

Neutral

00:04:46-00:04:49 (3 sec)

"Hi, Mr. President." 64

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:04:49-00:04:51 (2 sec)

"Don't do it." 65

Mike La Fleur

Positive

00:04:51-00:04:52 (1 sec)

"Good afternoon." 66

Adam Lorentz

Slightly Positive

00:04:52-00:05:15 (23 sec)

"I'll be right there. And I'll talk to Mike a little bit. So I guess when we have time, we talk about infrastructure. Mike, I got a couple of questions for you about this. So how important is it to have new and reliable equipment?" 67

Mike La Fleur

Slightly Positive

00:05:15-00:06:04 (50 sec)

"I think, Adam and Mr. President, I think the key is reliability. We work on a very strict timetable, especially within Wisconsin. We only get six to eight months' worth of construction or maintenance. So time is critical. We spend a considerable amount of time planning and coordinating everything, and when we don't have reliable equipment, something breaks down or we don't get things done in a timely manner, it's a domino effect of projects get put off until the following year, things like that." 68

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:06:04-00:06:15 (10 sec)

"So would it be safe to say that solid equipment, reliable equipment makes you more efficient?" 69

Mike La Fleur

Neutral

00:06:15-00:06:16 (1 sec)

"Absolutely." 70

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:06:16-00:06:18 (2 sec)

"What kind of --" 71

Mike La Fleur

Neutral

00:06:18-00:06:22 (4 sec)

"Reliability is key because it's just when we're not getting things done, it snowballs." 72

Joe Biden

Neutral

00:06:22-00:06:28 (6 sec)

"Tell me, what kind of winter do you have last winter?" 73

Mike La Fleur

Leans Positive

00:06:28-00:06:35 (7 sec)

"Actually, it wasn't too bad in the first part. The second part, they made up for it." 74

Joe Biden

Slightly Positive

00:06:35-00:06:44 (9 sec)

"Yeah. So what are you repairing the most when you're out there in the local highway system, potholes from the winter?" 75

Mike La Fleur

Somewhat Negative

00:06:44-00:06:53 (9 sec)

"Oh, absolutely. Winter time, that is a never-ending battle in Wisconsin. It's cold freeze." 76

Joe Biden

Slightly Positive

00:06:53-00:06:54 (1 sec)

"Yep." 77

Mike La Fleur

Very Positive

00:06:54-00:07:13 (18 sec)

"But we've come up with some new things that we're doing that seems to help, and one of them is this piece of equipment behind me where we can mill off part of a street quickly instead of repave it with a machine like this. And without -- we will spend crews doing it every week otherwise." 78

Adam Lorentz

Leans Positive

00:07:13-00:07:41 (28 sec)

"And I'll just say it's obviously -- uh, what I am looking at is that -- is there are times that they're able to respond to emergencies. So Mike talked about those well-planned out projects, but you mentioned Wisconsin winters, right? So in a matter of a couple of minutes, the road would split or open buckle, and for bus drivers and the passengers that are trying to get to work, trying to get the medical equipment, they need to get there." 79

Adam Lorentz

Somewhat Positive

00:07:41-00:07:59 (18 sec)

"So the response time of our street department is something that we're looking for, that advancement in that future growth. So when we make a phone call, we know that they're there, and they have the equipment repaired so people can get back on the road right away." 80

Joe Biden

Leans Negative

00:07:59-00:08:21 (22 sec)

"This doesn't relate to your day-to-day job, but what is the situation, from your perspective, in terms of bridges and the existing roads that don't need to be repaired but just the quality of the roads? We have a lot of money in this bill, a lot of money, and you got a lot of need for a lot of bridges, some of which are in tough shape." 81

Joe Biden

Very Negative

00:08:21-00:08:26 (5 sec)

"And I don't know about this town, but in this state -- and so how much do you worry about that?" 82

Adam Lorentz

Very Positive

00:08:26-00:08:45 (19 sec)

"And there's a lot of departments that are excited about it, not just our street department or buses but our police, our fire utilities. Like Mike said, the domino effect. And if we can get this fixed, we can do a lot of good things citywide. So I appreciate it, Mike. Thank you for that time and that explanation." 83