etownhunter
04-19-2009, 04:31 PM
I sure hope this does go thru and it sure would be nice to get on there too, considering the site is 5 miles from my house!!! For those of you that dont know, Hardin county has had close to 1500 workers laid off in the past year....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30198978/
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A potential investment of roughly $600 million could bring an estimated 2,000 new jobs to Kentucky.
Today, the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Batteries (NATTBatt) announced that it has chosen a site in Hardin County to develop batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles.
The group chose Kentucky over seven other states competing for the factory. The development comes just days after plans for a new battery research center -- a partnership with the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and the Argonna Lab -- was announced.
"This facility, along with the Kentucky Argonne Research Lab, will put Kentucky in the forefront of the new generation of automobiles," Gov. Steve Beshear.
The new lithium-ion electric battery plant is set to be built along Interstate 65 in Glendale, Ky. It was originally purchased by the state as part of a failed bid to bring a Hyundai plant there.
The commonwealth is currently third in the county for auto manufacturing jobs, an industry that has taken substantial hits due to the recession.
Hardin County alone has lost about 1,500 jobs in the last few years.
"They will be enthusiastic to see light at the end of the tunnel to be able to go back to work again and relate it to the automobile industry that we so much support in Hardin County," Hardin County Judge Executive Harry Berry said.
According to the governor’s office, the state has or will invest $200 million in this project, including $100-million for construction. The plans are still being finalized.
"This is an investment, we can not afford not to make," Beshear said.
While the bulk of the state's investment will likely come in bonds paid back over time, NAATBatt said the main jumper cables to get this project humming will have to come from the federal Department of Energy.
The group is in the process of applying for those federal funds. There are back-up plans in the works if their application is denied.
"We go to plan B. Don't ask me what plan B is, but it's not as nice as plan A," NAATBatt spokesman Jim Greenberger said.
The team should get a response by summer time.
However, NAATBatt leaders and the governor said they are confident they will get a substantial investment from the federal government due to the environmentally friendly nature of the project.
The man who led site’s selection committee said that Kentucky's leadership team stood out.
"That concept of vision and the commitment and the real desire to be partners of ours, not just one more economic development project, is the main reason we are here," agent Sandy Kane said.
Once the funding is finalized, the plant will take about a year to build and will create about 1,500 construction jobs for that time period.
The average salary of the 2,000 permanent jobs is estimated to exceed $40,000.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30198978/
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A potential investment of roughly $600 million could bring an estimated 2,000 new jobs to Kentucky.
Today, the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Batteries (NATTBatt) announced that it has chosen a site in Hardin County to develop batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles.
The group chose Kentucky over seven other states competing for the factory. The development comes just days after plans for a new battery research center -- a partnership with the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and the Argonna Lab -- was announced.
"This facility, along with the Kentucky Argonne Research Lab, will put Kentucky in the forefront of the new generation of automobiles," Gov. Steve Beshear.
The new lithium-ion electric battery plant is set to be built along Interstate 65 in Glendale, Ky. It was originally purchased by the state as part of a failed bid to bring a Hyundai plant there.
The commonwealth is currently third in the county for auto manufacturing jobs, an industry that has taken substantial hits due to the recession.
Hardin County alone has lost about 1,500 jobs in the last few years.
"They will be enthusiastic to see light at the end of the tunnel to be able to go back to work again and relate it to the automobile industry that we so much support in Hardin County," Hardin County Judge Executive Harry Berry said.
According to the governor’s office, the state has or will invest $200 million in this project, including $100-million for construction. The plans are still being finalized.
"This is an investment, we can not afford not to make," Beshear said.
While the bulk of the state's investment will likely come in bonds paid back over time, NAATBatt said the main jumper cables to get this project humming will have to come from the federal Department of Energy.
The group is in the process of applying for those federal funds. There are back-up plans in the works if their application is denied.
"We go to plan B. Don't ask me what plan B is, but it's not as nice as plan A," NAATBatt spokesman Jim Greenberger said.
The team should get a response by summer time.
However, NAATBatt leaders and the governor said they are confident they will get a substantial investment from the federal government due to the environmentally friendly nature of the project.
The man who led site’s selection committee said that Kentucky's leadership team stood out.
"That concept of vision and the commitment and the real desire to be partners of ours, not just one more economic development project, is the main reason we are here," agent Sandy Kane said.
Once the funding is finalized, the plant will take about a year to build and will create about 1,500 construction jobs for that time period.
The average salary of the 2,000 permanent jobs is estimated to exceed $40,000.