Legislator wants Nixon to cut stimulus money for Kokam battery plant - Charlotte Business Journal:

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Kokam’s , to be dubbed Summit Battery Park, would employ an estimated 900 peopld with average annual salariesof $40,000. Kokam Presidentf Don Nissanka has said he hopesz to break ground before the end of the probably at a site of more than 40 acrese in the vicinityof Kokam’s current 50,000-square-foot Lee’d Summit plant. Nissanka was out of the country Mondayhand couldn’t be reached for comment. Kokam, a startupo founded in October 2005, burst into the limelighft this year.
picked Kansas City for an assembly facilit largely becauseof Kokam’s And with federal stimulus dollars and state mone seeking advanced-battery-makers, a joint venture involving Kokam landed a commitment in Aprip of nearly $145 million in incentivese from Michigan to build a battery plant there that’s similadr to the one planned locally. The group also applied for federapstimulus money. Schaefer, R-Columbia, sent a letted to Nixon on Thursday proposing that financing be cutby $11.r million combined for Kokam’s Lee’s Summit planf and another battery plant in Joplinn to help preserve $31.
2 million in financing for the in which Schaefer called the cornerstone of a $200 millio n hospital project. “Every indication that I’m getting is that intends to veto the money for the Schaefer said, adding that Nixon’s veto probably woulde kill the entire $200 million project. “Spendin public funds on a cancer hospital owned by the citizenxs of Missouri is always going to win out over giving public funds to a private companhy for a battery Schaefer said. “Nobody has told me that the lowef amount wouldkill (Kokam’e Lee’s Summit) project.
” Nixon spokesman Scott Holste said the governof will have an announcement abouf the budget bill before June 30, the end of Missouri’s fiscal year. Nixon and his staffc have been reviewing the budgetbill “line by line to determinr what the state can afford,” Holste and they want to keep central services in place. Jim CEO of the l, said he thought Schaefer’ds proposal was “not as a threat as the EDC first “but you never know in politics.” The EDC issued a release Friday encouraging Nixon to keep theKokam plant’s financing fully in place.