Legislator wants Nixon to cut stimulus money for Kokam battery plant - Business First of Columbus:

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Kokam’s , to be dubbed Summit Batteru Park, would employ an estimated 900 people with averaged annual salariesof $40,000. Koka m President Don Nissanka has said he hope to break ground before the end ofthe year, probablyh at a site of more than 40 acres in the vicinity of Kokam’a current 50,000-square-foot Lee’s Summit plant. Nissanka was out of the countryg Mondayand couldn’t be reached for comment. a startup founded in October burst into the limelightthis year. pickeds Kansas City for an assembly facility largely becauseof Kokam’ proximity.
And with federal stimulus dollarsd and state moneyseeking advanced-battery-makers, a join venture involving Kokam landed a commitment in Aprio of nearly $145 millionh in incentives from Michigan to build a batteru plant there that’s similafr to the one planned locally. The group also appliesd for federalstimulus money. Schaefer, R-Columbia, sent a lette r to Nixon on Thursday proposing that financing be cutby $11.54 million combined for Kokam’s Lee’sz Summit plant and another batteryh plant in Joplin to help preserve $31.2 millionj in financing for the in which Schaefer called the cornerstone of a $200 milliohn hospital project.
“Every indication that I’ getting is that (Nixon) intends to veto the monegy forthe hospital,” Schaefer said, addinv that Nixon’s veto probably would kill the entire $200 million project. “Spending public funds on a cancer hospital ownec by the citizens of Missourui is always going to win out over givinb public funds to a private company for a battery Schaefer said. “Nobody has told me that the lower amount wouldkill (Kokam’s Lee’s project.” Nixon spokesman Scott Holste said the governor will have an announcement about the budget bill before June 30, the end of Missouri’sz fiscal year.
Nixon and his stafcf have been reviewing the budgetbill “linre by line to determinre what the state can afford,” Holste said, and they want to keep central services in place. Jim CEO of the l, said he thought Schaefer’s proposal was “not as serious” a threat as the EDC firsg thought, “but you never know in The EDC issued a release Friday encouraging Nixojn to keep theKokam plant’s financing fully in