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Nixon mum on plans for China hub tax credits during hunting program event

Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon encourages local deer hunters to donate venison through the Share the Harvest program during a visit to the St. Louis Area Food Bank on Nov. 1, 2011. Nixon also answered questions regarding trade relations with China at the event.
(UPI/Bill Greenblatt)
Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon encourages local deer hunters to donate venison through the Share the Harvest program during a visit to the St. Louis Area Food Bank on Nov. 1, 2011. Nixon also answered questions regarding trade relations with China at the event.

While in the St. Louis region Tuesday for a press conference on the Share the Harvest program (which you can learn more about below) Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon called his trade trip to China productive - however, he had little to say about whether he wants to renew efforts to get tax credits for a China hub.

The Democrat said his week-long trip resulted in $4.6 billion in export agreements between Missouri and China.

But while the governor was overseas, the special legislative session that was supposed to create new tax incentives for the China Hub at Lambert Airport came to a close without agreement.

Governor Nixon would not say whether he wants the so-called Aerotropolis bill brought up again in January.

"But I don't think that's a light switch, I think want to have all the assets we can," Nixon said. "I think short-term it's important to continue agricultural process, and other companies continued communication, but we'll see what happens as the legislative session starts."
 
China Cargo canceled a flight to Lambert on Monday, the second week in a row.

Airport officials have said the cancelations are likely due, at least in part, to the failure of the tax credit legislation.

The primary topic at hand during Tuesday's press conference, as we mentioned above, was theShare the Harvest program, which allows hunters to donate hunted venison to families in need.

Last year more than 6,000 deer were processed through the program producing 350,000 pounds of meat.

The governor, a hunter, has participated in the program himself and said he shared two animals, a buck and a doe, last year.

Share the Harvest is a partnership between the Conservation Federation, the Missouri Department of Conservation, food banks and meat processors.

Hunters can donate all or part of a deer to the program. The firearms deer season begins Nov. 12 in Missouri.

Maria is the newscast, business and education editor for St. Louis Public Radio.