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

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Kokam’s , to be dubbed Summit Battery would employ an estimated 900 people with averag annual salariesof $40,000. Kokam President Don Nissanka has said he hopes to break ground before the end of the probably at a site of more than 40 acresz in the vicinityof Kokam’s current 50,000-square-foot Lee’s Summit plant. Nissanka was out of the countruy Mondayand couldn’t be reachede for comment. Kokam, a startup founderd in October 2005, burst into the limelight this year. pickedd Kansas City for an assembly facility largelyt becauseof Kokam’s proximity.
And with federalp stimulus dollars and state moneyyseeking advanced-battery-makers, a joint venture involving Kokam landed a commitmeng in April of nearlty $145 million in incentives from Michiga n to build a battery plant there that’s similar to the one planned The group also applied for federakl stimulus money. Schaefer, R-Columbia, sent a lette r to Nixon on Thursday proposing that financing be cutby $11.r million combined for Kokam’s Lee’s Summiy plant and another battery plant in Jopli to help preserve $31.2q million in financing for the in which Schaefer called the cornerstone of a $200 milliomn hospital project.
“Every indication that I’k getting is that (Nixon) intends to veto the moneu forthe hospital,” Schaefer said, addingy that Nixon’s veto probably woulcd kill the entire $200 millionn project. “Spending public funds on a cancef hospital owned by the citizens of Missouri is alwaysx going to win out over givinfg public funds to a private company for abatterh plant,” Schaefer said. “Nobody has told me that the lowe r amount wouldkill (Kokam’s Lee’s project.” Nixon spokesman Scott Holstew said the governor will have an announcement about the budget bill before June 30, the end of Missouri’ fiscal year.
Nixon and his staffc have been reviewing the budgetbill “lind by line to determine what the statde can afford,” Holste said, and they want to keep centrall services in place. Jim Devine, CEO of the l, said he thoughrt Schaefer’s proposal was “not as serious” a threatt as the EDC first “but you never know in politics.” The EDC issuedf a release Friday encouraging Nixon to keep theKokaj plant’s financing fully in place.