WENDELL, N.C. — Gov. Roy Cooper says now is the time to build and invest in infrastructure in a more resilient way.

What You Need To Know

North Carolina is looking to be competitive to earn federal funding for infrastructure

Bipartisan Infrastruture Law could improve transportation, water, sewer and internet in the state

More electric vehicles, including electric bus fleets, is one of the ways North Carolina is going to reach its energy goals

The governor and U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross visited technology company Siemens in Wendell Tuesday.

The two talked about investing in the infrastructure of North Carolina. Ross pointed to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as a way to make that happen.

"When I think about the infrastructure law, I think about the generational investment it is making in grid modernization ... in transportation, in water and sewer and of course here in North Carolina in broadband," Ross said. 

Ross says the multi-year bill will help fix what is wrong with infrastructure while also investing in the future, which includes a transition over time to more electric vehicles.

Siemens is one of the companies creating the charging infrastructure to support new electric bus fleets in North Carolina.

Cooper says with his Executive Order 246 he is putting together a clean transportation work group to come up with a clean transportation program for the state.

"Climate change is an existential threat to our planet, and all of us collectively have to work to fight that," Cooper said. "Even if you don't believe that, even if you don't care about that, you need to care about the transformation to clean energy, both in the power section and in our transportation sector because of the jobs and the money that it's going to bring to our state."

Cooper says he is showing the federal government that investing in North Carolina is a good choice by putting the resilience at the forefront of rebuilding and creating a plan for clean energy and charging stations in the state.

"North Carolina has a plan, and we are going to be put it in place to make it work," Cooper said.