GRAFTON, Ill. (AP) — Developers hoping to build an Asian carp processing plant in the Mississippi River town of Grafton could soon get help from taxpayers.
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has approved $1.9 million for the project. But DCEO spokeswoman Sandra Jones said Monday the project must pass a federal review before the money is awarded.
It includes a $1.4 million low-interest loan to American Heartland Fish Products. The remaining money is meant for infrastructure improvements related to the plant.
American Heartland unveiled its plan last month in the 700-resident town northeast of St. Louis.
The carp are an invasive species that has migrated up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers and is poised to invade the Great Lakes, where scientists say they could out-compete native fish for food.