http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-836159.mp3
Kansas City, MO – Nixon toured a high-tech plant in Lee's Summit today. Kokam America makes batteries for medical devices, airplanes and electric powered cars and trucks there. A jobs bill stalled in the state senate now would throw 25-million dollars in federal stimulus money into a bid to expand this operation by about 20 fold here. Nixon says it's time to pass the bill.
Nixon: We're coming to a fork in the road, and if we take the right turn in this fork, this will expand into jobs.
Kokam's president says they'd need about 900 new hires to staff the 660-million dollar plant. And that Battery plants attract other manufacturing work. The Smith Electric Truck plant going in at the airport landed in Kansas City, impart because of Kokam America already had.