Sen. Eric Wimberger asks state to extend $15M grant deadline for coal piles relocation
A state senator is asking for an extension of the May 30 deadline of a grant to help relocate the coal piles in Green Bay.
If Green Bay, Brown County, and C. Reiss Co. don't reach an agreement in a week, the state Department of Administration notified the parties in late April that it will take back the $15 million Neighborhood Investment Grant that was awarded in 2022 for the relocation effort.
On May 23, state Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, asked the state Department of Administration to extend its deadline for the grant to give the three parties more time to finalize a deal for "such a massive development," he said in the letter.
"Revoking the grant will seriously jeopardize a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bolster northeast Wisconsin's role in our state's supply chain and the global economy following the Covid pandemic," Wimberger said.
Two new proposals are currently under negotiation between the county, city, and C. Reiss. The three groups met on May 20, for the first time this year, to discuss terms.
The Neighborhood Investment Grant is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act. The grant required agencies that receive funds to allocate them by the end of 2024. In July, the county requested an extension to use the grant by Dec. 31, 2025.
The grant is a key source of funding to turn the former Pulliam power plant site at the mouth of the Fox River into a port site for the coal storage.
"I ask that regardless of the outcome of these negotiations, the department remain committed to this obligation, and assist the county in using these funds to further develop and expand the Port of Green Bay," Wimberger said.
More: As grant deadline nears, county, city and C. Reiss discuss proposals to relocate coal piles
More: Coal piles effort faces May 30 deadline to reach a deal or lose $15M state grant
Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Wimberger asks state to extend grant deadline for coal piles effort
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