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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowCounty officials in southwestern Indiana are giving the go-ahead on the site picked for a proposed $2.1 billion fertilizer plant even though some residents question whether it is a good spot.
Posey County's Board of Zoning Appeals on Thursday approved a permit for the project on 219 acres of farmland in an industrial area near Mount Vernon.
The Evansville Courier & Press reported that some at the meeting told the board they welcomed the plant and the jobs it is expected to create. Other residents raised worries about plant safety, increased traffic and how close the site is to residential areas.
The project has faced questions since Gov. Mike Pence in January withdrew state subsidies because fertilizer made by Pakistan-based parent company Fatima Group was used in bombs in Afghanistan.
The plant still needs other approvals, including a federal air permit, to move forward.
If approved, the Midwest Fertilizer Corp. facility would create an estimated 2,500 construction jobs, plus 200 permanent positions with an average annual salary of $58,000.
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