BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Amid opposition from many Mecosta County residents who have continuously voiced that they don’t want a Megasite in their community, especially one with China ties, the Green Charter Township board moved ahead in the crafting a land development agreement with Gotion Inc. for a $2.36 billion facility electric vehicle battery component manufacturing near Big Rapids. The contract will reportedly be signed in the coming days.
The agreement was the result of supervisor Jim Chapman working with Gotion Inc. to come up with the 16- page document after the board voted unanimously on August 1st to allow Chapman to work with Gotion officials on the deal. Michigan News Source reached out to Chapman and he said that an attorney for the township also looked over the contract for any legal or environmental concerns.
Chapman said the agreement is “everything we were looking for.” He told Crain’s Detroit, “We’re dealing with a multinational company, which means that every country has its different standards and different ways of doing things, and so accommodating everybody’s thoughts and concerns took a little while. It actually took longer than I expected, but it was never confrontational … just business, difference of opinion. The end result was the agreement that has pretty much everything that we were looking for, so I’m quite pleased.”
Chuck Thelen, Vice President of Gotion Inc. – North American Manufacturing, said about the agreement in a press release, “This agreement represents a good-faith contract that will help guide the development and ongoing function of Gotion Inc.’s proposed facility in Green Charter Township. It ensures everyone is on the same page when it comes to both of our obligations and responsibilities. I want to thank the Township Board and especially Supervisor Chapman for his leadership in helping to formulate the bilateral agreement that will guide the project to a successful launch.”
The township’s obligations under the agreement include reviewing plans and specifications for the project to make sure Gotion Inc. complies with township ordinances, assisting them in obtaining permits, licenses and other governmental authorizations for the project and working with the Mecosta County Drain Commission and Road Commission about public infrastructure.
Gotion’s obligations in the agreement include the following:
- Giving area residents priority over new jobs for the first two weeks through the Big Rapids Area Michigan Works, prior to seeking job applicants outside the area;
- Greatly limiting traffic congestion on public roads by constructing an on-site truck/trailer staging area;
- Ensuring all township emergency services relating to the facility and overall community support are paid for by Gotion Inc. for the next 30 years;
- Creating a collaboration on legal strategy where Gotion Inc. will provide a large amount of financial assistance to cover the township legal fees surrounding the startup of the project;
- Adhering to a dark sky design to limit the amount of light generated from the facility;
- Maximizing the recycling of raw materials and manufacturing by-product to prevent adverse environmental impacts to the air, sanitary sewer system and ground and surface waters;
- Preparing, filing, and updating the township on Gotion Inc.’s comprehensive safety plans – this includes allowing fire department personnel to receive accessibility to familiarize themselves with the plant layout and procedures;
- Prohibiting activity that supports or encourages any political philosophy among its employees or the community.
Gotion, a subsidiary of Hefei, China-based Gotion High-tech Co. has faced fervent opposition to the development since September of 2022 when they introduced their plans for the $2.36 billion plant. Residents in the community have objected to their ties to the Chinese government, traffic issues, environmental issues and more.
Earlier in the year at a public meeting, Thelen responded to allegations that China will be operating the facility. He said, “Has the Communist Party penetrated this company? No. Do we have articles of incorporation that require a specific paragraph where you don’t do business in the country of China? Yes. But it’s not a corporate culture.”
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The Treasury Department had said in June that Gotion’s purchase of land in Michigan was not a covered transaction under the Defense Production Act, thus meaning that they don’t believe the project poses a national security threat.
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