Buffalo Billion is a New York state government project led by former Governor Andrew Cuomo that aims to invest $1 billion in the Buffalo, New York area economy. The project uses a combination of state grants and tax breaks to spur economic development. Governor Cuomo first announced the program in his 2012 "State of the State" address. The program is modeled on a similar program implemented in the Albany, New York area. A key project in the program is a $750 million SolarCity solar panel factory. An example of projects developing under Buffalo Billion include: Solar panel factories A solar panel array at a former Bethlehem Steel plant in Lackawanna built by BQ Energy, a renewable energy development company Some components of the project came to fruition before Cuomo's term ended in 2021. Some parts are still pending, and with some aspects of the project, corruption allegations have emerged. Development projects Sources: SolarCity In 2016 SolarCity was the largest rooftop solar installer in the United States, headquartered in San Mateo, California. Under Buffalo Billion, SolarCity received $750 million in incentives in exchange for building a factory. According to The New York Times, after the factory is complete, SolarCity will create 1,500 new jobs on site; an additional 1,500 new jobs are expected to be created among suppliers in the area. In mid-May 2016, the New York legislature had planned to take a vote on a measure that would have given an extra $500 million to the SolarCity project. However, legislators pulled back the vote. The New York Times wrote that legislators "hinted they would exercise more oversight of the governor's banner economic initiative." Panasonic and Tesla factory Up through August 2018, the company Tesla bought all of the solar modules manufactured by Panasonic in Buffalo, New York. According to an August 2018 report in the Wall Street Journal, Tesla is no longer buying all of the solar modules produce there. Over 600 people work at the factory in Buffalo. A $750 million state subsidy from the Buffalo Billion program helped build and equip the factory. Tesla took over the factory in 2016 when it acquired SolarCity. At that time, Tesla said that it was partnering with Panasonic. In December 2016, the two companies announced a deal. The deal included a commitment from Tesla to buy all of the Panasonic output at the factory. The Wall Street Journal report wrote that