[INSPRATIONAL MUSIC STING] - We're now joined by Rick Cotton who's Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to disclose one of the underwriters of our programming.

Rick, good to see you again.

- Steve, very good to be with you.

- You got so much going on with the Port authority in our region, but let's talk outta the box about climate responsibility, clean construction, and the role you and your colleagues are playing.

- Well, we've committed to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

We believe that the climate crisis is existential.

The transportation sector produces a lot of greenhouse gas emissions, and we are committed to reduce to the maximum extent possible.

The Port Authorities, the mission to that extent, we have set very aggressive targets and goals for ourselves.

25% reduction by '25, 35% by '30, and then we've committed to get to net zero by 2050.

And the big event that we're very proud of is that we have released a roadway to net zero which actually no longer says, articulates the goal, but says here's how we're gonna get there.

- Rick, lemme ask you.

We put up the website of the Port Authority.

Can people find that report, that analysis, that game plan on the website?

- Yes, they can.

It is up there and it's called "Pathway To Net Zero."

- Excellent.

And to clarify that for those of you who are not familiar with the Port Authority, established in a 1921 Compact between the states of New York and New Jersey, each governor has the ability legally, constitutionally if you will, to appoint several commissioners to the Port Authority.

The Executive Director is the leader of the team there and that Executive Director, some have been from New Jersey, some have been from New York.

And that's the role that Rick plays.

And we're talking about airports, we're talking about Trans Hudson getting across the PATH.

A whole range of issues, excuse me, of responsibilities of Port Authority.

But one of the areas that has my interest is the focus on minority and women-owned business enterprises.

What exactly are we talking about and what role is the Port Authority playing in that regard?

- The framework here is that the Port Authority has a very large $37 billion capital plan, which means that we're major builder, major construction underway.

We have an $8 billion annual budget.

We are committed in our contracting practices to be sure that the businesses that we contract with are reflective of the entire region, and so we have developed particular programs and a particular emphasis as we do construction projects that we do business with companies, small business frequently, but minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, local businesses.

And that has been the focus of our program.

And we are committed to having 30% of our contracting going to these minority and women-owned businesses, and local businesses.

- And there's also, let's also include this 3%.

The goal is 3% participation of service disabled veteran-owned small businesses, correct, Rick?

- Yes, I should have mentioned that.

But yes, we also honor that 3% commitment.

- Talk to us, you know, as someone and folks watching in our region, we fly out of the airports.

Now you've got three airports.

You got Newark, LaGuardia, Kennedy.

So the development going on at each one of these airports, busier than ever before, Rick Cotton is not responsible for the airline industry, but flying out of those airports is the responsibility of the Port Authority.

From your perspective, one, the greatest positive development with the airports and two, the greatest challenge, please, Rick.

- Well, the framework here is that airports are gateways.

They're gateways for visitors to our region.

They're also the gateways in terms of departure and coming home for residents.

And for years, I might almost say decades, but for a long time, the three Port Authority airports unfortunately were at the backend of virtually every customer survey that was taken.

They certainly had been allowed to deteriorate and frankly, LaGuardia, Terminal A at Newark were embarrassing.

So the challenge is to reverse that and we are committed to do that.

and I just flew outta Terminal A recently in Newark.

Describe what is going on there, please.

- Well, Terminal A at Newark today, as you and I are speaking, is a world-class terminal.

It compares favorably to any terminal that people will travel to in this country or abroad.

That did not used to be the situation.

And the Port Authority developed a $2.7 billion terminal modernization reconstruction transformation plan.

For those who in your audience use the old Terminal A it was simply way past its expiration date, its design, so the challenge for us at Terminal A in Newark, at LaGuardia, and now at Kennedy, is to bring these airports back from the unfortunately below par, back-of-the-line state that they had slipped into and make them world-class.

And so the challenge, first of all, is to design those.

Second is to get them through the permitting process.

And then third is to build them on budget and on time.

And that's what we're about.

And Terminal A at Newark is now done, done, done.

It opened in phases.

The first phase opened in January of 2023 and as of September of 2023, it is complete.

Passengers can enjoy absolutely top of the line concessions, absolutely top of the line public art installations, and functionality.

It has the latest technology across the board.

- Real quick, one minute left, Rick, on technology, a driverless van moving people around.

You're smiling because I saw a driver in the van but the driver was not operating the van.

Explain that real quick.

I got a minute left.

- Well, the autonomous vehicles are part of the future.

They are very efficient and they have the capacity to be utilized in spaces where we need to move people around and take an airport as an example.

What the autonomous vehicle is, it doesn't, it has the technology does not need a driver.

Our confirmation that it's a safe way of moving people around.

You put a driver in it during its test period.

But ultimately what it's about is small vehicles, frequent arrivals and departures, and it becomes part of making the airport as convenient as possible for travelers.

- Rick Cotton, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York, New Jersey, with tremendous responsibility for moving people, moving goods, around the region.

Rick, thanks so much for joining us.

We appreciate it.

- Good to be with you, Steve, thank you.

- You got it.

You got it.

I'm Steve Adubato, that's Rick Cotton, and we'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] State of Affairs with Steve Adubato Is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

Rutgers University Newark.

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Newark Board of Education.

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And by The North Ward Center.

Promotional support provided By NJ.Com.

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