Coats Partners With Young to Help River Ridge Development

Joining Indiana Ninth District Congressman Todd Young, U.S. Sen. Dan Coats, R-In., has introduced a bill to help redevelopment at a former military installation in Jeffersonville.Under Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) guidelines, the old Indiana Army Ammunition Plant now operates as the River Ridge Commerce Center. According to Coats's office, the southern portion of the plant is reserved for economic development by the state and county, but it is not guaranteed legal protections.The measure would ensure that all property owners of land formerly used as a military installation at the commerce center are compensated by the defense department.From Sen. Coats's office: "River Ridge is a promising economic development opportunity that could help boost the local economy and create jobs in southern Indiana,” said Coats. “This bill will provide potential job creators at locations like River Ridge the same insurance protections granted to developers and businesses on all other closed military installations. I am pleased to join Rep. Young in this effort and will work with my colleagues to get the legislation approved in the Senate.” "I'm excited to partner with Senator Coats on this effort, and his support brings River Ridge one step closer to fulfilling its job creation potential,” said Young. “As our office has worked with River Ridge officials for the last year to make the site more enticing to future employers, it has become clear that this is one of the best economic development opportunities in the state. Senator Coats' help in shepherding this House-passed legislation through the Senate will help bring more jobs more quickly to southern Indiana."Earlier this year, Young was able to enact similar similar legislation in the House as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The congressman has said the measure would help businesses trying to utilize the 6,000 acre site for business, including Amazon.com.