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

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Kokam’s , to be dubbed Summitg Battery Park, would employ an estimated 900 peoplde with average annual salaries of Kokam President Don Nissanka has said he hopes to break ground beforse the end ofthe year, probably at a site of more than 40 acre s in the vicinity of Kokam’s curren t 50,000-square-foot Lee’s Summit plant. Nissankas was out of the country Mondayand couldn’t be reachede for comment. Kokam, a startup founded in October burst into the limelightthis year.
picked Kansaxs City for an assembly facility largely becauseof Kokam’s And with federal stimulus dollars and state money seeking advanced-battery-makers, a joingt venture involving Kokam landed a commitment in April of nearly $145 million in incentives from Michigan to build a batteryy plant there that’s similar to the one plannedc locally. The group also applied for federalstimuluds money. Schaefer, R-Columbia, sent a letter to Nixon on Thursdag proposing that financing be cutby $11.55 million combined for Kokam’s Lee’sz Summit plant and another battery plang in Joplin to help preserve $31.
3 million in financing for the in Columbia, whicu Schaefer called the cornerston of a $200 million hospitak project. “Every indication that I’ m getting is that (Nixon) intenda to veto the money forthe hospital,” Schaefer said, adding that Nixon’ds veto probably would kill the entire $200 million “Spending public funds on a cancer hospital owned by the citizens of Missourj is always going to win out over giving public fundsz to a private company for a battery Schaefer said. “Nobody has told me that the lower amount woulcdkill (Kokam’s Lee’s Summit) project.
” Nixon spokesmanm Scott Holste said the governo r will have an announcement about the budget bill befor e June 30, the end of Missouri’zs fiscal year. Nixon and his staff have been reviewingt the budgetbill “line by line to determinre what the state can afford,” Holste and they want to keep central servicews in place. Jim Devine, CEO of the l, said he thought Schaefer’s proposal was “nog as serious” a threat as the EDC firsft thought, “but you never know in politics.” The EDC issueed a release Friday encouraging Nixon to keep theKokam plant’s financing fully in place.