4/11/13, "Electric car charging station project in limbo," Chicago Tribune, Julie Wernau
"FBI said to be looking into 350Green's project for drivers of electric vehicles in Chicago, 19 other markets"
p. 1, "Three years ago, a Los Angeles firm named 350Green was picked to build a large network of charging stations for electric vehicles in the Chicago area. Other contracts soon followed in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, California and Kansas.
p. 2, "The capitalization of 350Green hinged on government grants, although it promised to raise an additional $6.8 million from private sources. Mason said the expiration of the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property tax credit at the end of 2011 sunk the project's financing. Mason said the company counted on the tax credit for about 50 percent of the project's funding. The tax credit was extended in 2013, at which point, Mason said, it was too late....
"That's a $97,000 difference," Haug said. "We're a 100-year-old family-owned business. That's not chump change."
After hearing "next week, next week, next week," that it would be paid, Haug said, the company was contacted by FBI investigators. Haug said that's when it lost hope 350Green would pay.
Jodi Wise, administrative assistant at RJ Underground, which did drilling work on the project and whose offices are in Kenosha, Wis., said the company never received a $28,700 check, although paperwork provided to the city shows it was paid in April 2012 by 350Green.
RJ Underground is owed $90,000, Wise said...
On Wednesday, Brian Brockman, a spokesman for Nissan North America, said the company still believes Chicago is a great market.
"We look forward to working in ways that make sense as an automaker to speed the rollout of charging infrastructure and to help serve the needs of Nissan Leaf owners," he said." via Tom Nelson
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