Outrage brewing over plans for China-linked battery company in Michigan

[Michigan Swamp Buck]

OK, this has actually been in the works since last year and isn't strange that we only hear about it after Dixon brings this up now?

Whitmer Announces New Battery Component Manufacturing Facility in Big Rapids October 05, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 5, 2022 Contact: press@michigan.gov

Gov. Whitmer Announces New Battery Component Manufacturing Facility in Big Rapids, Creating 2,350 Jobs and an Investment of More than $2.3 billion LANSING, Mich. – As part of a series of electric vehicle battery investments made today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined the Michigan Economic Development Corporation in announcing Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) support for a transformational investment by the global battery company Gotion, which has chosen to build its battery component manufacturing facility in Big Rapids.

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Then this rebuttal from Fox 9&10 Cadillac . . .

Fears over a proposed battery plant in Mecosta County took center stage nationally this week after some new concerns were aired. The proposed battery plant has been the center of controversy for months now over concerns about the impact it would have on the local community. Concerns over impacts on the environment, local manufacturing, and human rights have been discussed with this plant proposal. Now, all of that is background noise as new concerns emerged. Advertisement Jim Chapman, supervisor of Green Charter Township, said the township has been busy fielding calls, and a lot have been about concerns that Chapman said were way off the mark. “I took a phone call today. Wanted to talk about how the plant was going in, taking up 100 feet of space along the river. Another one wanted to talk about how the rail transport of this, the product, when we don’t have rail here. You know, as far as the footage, I mean, we’re back a better mile from the river,” said Chapman. Another concern is the claim that Gotion has an allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party. Gotion Vice President of North American operations Chuck Thelen said those claims are baseless. “I’m surprised that people are making the claims as wildly as they are. The other claim that we’re going to inundate the rapids with 250 migrant workers from China. That makes no sense. We will bring our centers of expertise, experts to help set up the equipment and the process. That will probably be somewhere between 20 to 50 people,” said Thelen.

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Well then, who can say?