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A grain barge is loaded at the Ohio River port in Jeffersonville.
Courtesy Ports of IndianaLAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (AP) — State officials eyeing a swath of land along the Ohio River for a possible new shipping port have extended their option to buy that southeastern Indiana acreage.
An agreement announced Thursday extends until June 30, 2019, the Ports of Indiana 's option to buy up to 725 acres near Lawrenceburg, about 30 miles west of Cincinnati. The previous purchase option was set to expire on Dec. 31.
The land was once owned by Indiana Michigan Power Co., but is now owned by a development company.
If Indiana goes ahead with the purchase it would pay $8 million for the site, which officials say would become Indiana's fourth state port, spurring local development.
Indiana currently operates Ohio River ports in Jeffersonville and Mount Vernon and a Lake Michigan port at Burns Harbor.
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