News that the Cummins Inc. plant in Busti is going to be making hydrogen-powered engines starting sometime in 2024 is good news for the county.

Cummins remains the largest private-sector employer in Chautauqua County, employing roughly 1,400 people. For years the Jamestown plant has provided good-paying jobs making diesel-powered engines, but the global push toward powering heavy-duty vehicles with renewable power sources means the age of the venerable diesel engine will come to an end no matter how dependable they are. While there has been no inkling that the Jamestown plant was ever in danger, the news from Srikanth Padmanabhan, the president of Cummins engine division, that Jamestown will be producing the 15-liter ICE engine that has been sold in China for the past two years as Cummins ramps up production for a domestic push is reassuring.

Using the engine in China has convinced Cummins officials that the hydrogen-powered engine is reliable and durable enough to be a bigger part of Cummins’ future. Two key agreements — one with the Tata Auto Group, which coincidentally owns TitanX in Jamestown — and PACCAR have created a new market for the 15-liter ICE engine both overseas and in noted names in the tractor-trailer industry like Kenworth and Peterbilt.

As a region we’re used to disappointing news of companies shrinking their workforce or moving away entirely. It’s outstanding, then, to hear the county’s biggest employer is in its parent company’s future plans.