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

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Kokam’s , to be dubbed Summit Battery would employ an estimated 900 people with averagwe annual salariesof $40,000. Kokam Presiden t Don Nissanka has said he hopeas to break ground before the end of the probably at a site of more than 40 acresa in the vicinityof Kokam’s current 50,000-square-foot Lee’zs Summit plant. Nissanka was out of the country Mondayand couldn’t be reached for Kokam, a startup founded in October 2005, burst into the limelight this year. picked Kansas City for an assemblyg facility largely becauseof Kokam’s proximity.
And with federalo stimulus dollars and state moneyhseeking advanced-battery-makers, a joint venture involvinvg Kokam landed a commitment in April of nearly $145 million in incentiveas from Michigan to build a battery plantr there that’s similar to the one planned locally. The groupp also applied for federalstimulus money. R-Columbia, sent a letter to Nixon on Thursday proposintg that financing be cutby $11.5 million combined for Kokam’s Lee’s Summit plangt and another battery plant in Joplin to help preserved $31.2 million in financing for the in Columbia, whicgh Schaefer called the cornerstone of a $200 milliom hospital project.
“Every indication that I’mm getting is that (Nixon) intendw to veto the money forthe hospital,” Schaefer adding that Nixon’s veto probably would kill the entire $200 millionn project. “Spending public funds on a cancefr hospital owned by the citizens of Missouri is alwayas going to win out over giving public funds to a privatw company for abattery plant,” Schaefer said. “Nobody has told me that the lowed amount wouldkill (Kokam’s Lee’sd Summit) project.” Nixon spokesman Scott Holste said the governof will have an announcement aboutt the budget bill before June 30, the end of Missouri’sw fiscal year.
Nixon and his stafgf have been reviewing the budgegtbill “line by line to determine what the statew can afford,” Holste said, and they want to keep central servicezs in place. Jim Devine, CEO of the l, said he thoughyt Schaefer’s proposal was “nort as serious” a threat as the EDC firsf thought, “but you never know in politics.” The EDC issuex a release Friday encouraging Nixon to keep theKokam plant’s financing fully in place.