Posted on Jul 18, 2022
People in De Soto are excited for Panasonic's battery plant, but 'this is a big jump for us'
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Locals say De Soto needs to improve its infrastructure before thousands of people potentially move to the town. The Panasonic battery plant slated for development on the site of an old toxic ammunition plant gives them pause.
People in De Soto, Kansas, are feeling hopeful about the future of their town after Panasonic announced on July 13 that it will build a $4 billion plant in the town to make electric vehicle batteries for Tesla. Still, they have concerns about the environmental ramifications of the plant and how ready De Soto is to welcome thousands of newcomers.
Kansas officials estimate that the factory will bring about 4,000 new jobs to the quickly growing town on the edge of western Kansas City.
The state subsidies of more than $829 million — about $200,000 per employee — are tied to those employment levels.
People in De Soto, Kansas, are feeling hopeful about the future of their town after Panasonic announced on July 13 that it will build a $4 billion plant in the town to make electric vehicle batteries for Tesla. Still, they have concerns about the environmental ramifications of the plant and how ready De Soto is to welcome thousands of newcomers.
Kansas officials estimate that the factory will bring about 4,000 new jobs to the quickly growing town on the edge of western Kansas City.
The state subsidies of more than $829 million — about $200,000 per employee — are tied to those employment levels.
People in De Soto are excited for Panasonic's battery plant, but 'this is a big jump for us'
Posted from kcur.org
De Soto
Tesla Motors
Environment
Jobs
Employment
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."“Knowing how little she gets paid working for the school district, she's like, ‘I could make a lot more money just commuting a couple of miles and working in a battery plant instead of pushing paper around a school district,’” McKee said.
While McKee said she’s worried about the environmental toll the vehicle battery plant will have on the town, the need for a job outweighs long-term concerns.
“I think people are just worried about supporting themselves when prices of groceries and gas and everything else is going up," she said. "It's like, where does your concern for those kinds of things line up with trying to take care of yourself?”
Yates said she understands the concerns about the town’s growth but said De Soto has already been changing. She said the Panasonic plant is just another example that change is going to happen regardless.
“This small town feel is going to go away at some point,” Yates said. “So if there's opportunity for families to come here and see the amazingness, I don't know that it would necessarily be a bad thing.”
..."“Knowing how little she gets paid working for the school district, she's like, ‘I could make a lot more money just commuting a couple of miles and working in a battery plant instead of pushing paper around a school district,’” McKee said.
While McKee said she’s worried about the environmental toll the vehicle battery plant will have on the town, the need for a job outweighs long-term concerns.
“I think people are just worried about supporting themselves when prices of groceries and gas and everything else is going up," she said. "It's like, where does your concern for those kinds of things line up with trying to take care of yourself?”
Yates said she understands the concerns about the town’s growth but said De Soto has already been changing. She said the Panasonic plant is just another example that change is going to happen regardless.
“This small town feel is going to go away at some point,” Yates said. “So if there's opportunity for families to come here and see the amazingness, I don't know that it would necessarily be a bad thing.”
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