Micron Finalists Scramble To Sweeten Bids

With the golden ring in sight, officials in Utah, Oklahoma and Nebraska are reaching for incentives to win Micron Technology Inc.’s proposed $1.3 billion computer chip plant.

Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating promised Thursday to put a state engineering program inside the Micron plant, which is expected to employ 3,000 to 4,000 workers and generate an annual $220 million payroll.

Keating’s offer comes three days after Boise-based Micron narrowed the finalist for the expansion plant to Utah County, Oklahoma City and Omaha. At the same time, Post Falls and nine other sites were dropped from the list.

A final decision is expected by March 1.

Meanwhile, Nebraska lawmakers are mulling proposals to allow power companies to offer lower rates to Micron and to let the company keep a portion of state taxes for employee training and benefits.

In Utah County, economic development officials are scrambling to restructure a $60 million to $80 million incentive package that was offered for a site at Payson, Utah. Micron rejected that site, but kept the county as a finalist.

Micron has said that an engineering school is critical to its decision. The company asked the Idaho Board of Education to set up such a school at Boise State University, but the board rejected the plan last month.