CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — A spokesman for Caterpillar Inc. says the company continues to invest in its locations in Illinois but says those projects don't compare with new facilities it has said it could announce in the next few years.
Caterpillar spokesman Jim Dugan said Thursday that investments like the more than $800 million the company recently said it will spend at locations in East Peoria and Decatur isn't on the same scale as new construction.
Gov. Pat Quinn earlier in the day mentioned Caterpillar's spending in East Peoria and Decatur as he argued that the state's economic climate isn't holding back big companies like Peoria-based CAT.
The company this week bypassed Illinois for a new factory it plans. Caterpillar said the decision was based in part on longstanding complaints about Illinois' business climate.