MARSHALL, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – As Ford Motor Company halts construction of its BlueOval Battery Park plant in Marshall, a citizen-led group revealed its intent to bring a lawsuit against the Gotion Electric Vehicle plant in Big Rapids. 

“The Mecosta Environmental and Security Alliance (MESA) has served the Chinese Community Party-linked Gotion, Inc. with notice of intent to sue as the first step in the process required by law,” according to the group opposing the project. 

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According to a statement provided by MESA, numerous people, including Gotion’s Vice President Chuck Thelen, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Michigan EGLE Director Phillip Roos have been notified about the intent to go forward with litigation. 

“The suit is in accordance with Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act, which allows private citizens to sue anyone that harms, kills, maims, or damages the habit of an endangered species,” MESA said. “The proposed Gotion gigafactory sits on property containing several endangered species such as: Bald Eagle, Karner Blue Butterfly, Rusty Patched Bumblebee.” 

The announcement of the impending lawsuit comes the same day as Ford Motor Company experiences the lasting effects of the United Auto Workers ‘Stand Up’ Strike, revealing on Monday its plans to stop construction for the Ford BlueOval Battery Park Plant project in Marshall. 

“We’re pausing work, and we’re going to limit spending on construction at Marshall until we’re confident about our ability to competitively run the plant,” Ford spokesman T.R. Reid told the Detroit News on Monday. 

Jim Durian, CEO of Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance (MAEDA), shared his hopes for the project. 

“We are aware of the current pause on work and we remain confident of the enormous potential of Ford’s BlueOval Battery Park project to create local opportunities and thousands of local jobs,” Durian said in a statement to Michigan News Source. “We hope current negotiations between Ford and the UAW conclude in a mutually beneficial manner and we remain confident this project will continue as planned once these negotiations are complete.” 

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The United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain made a statement on the ramifications of Ford ceasing construction for workers. 

“This is a shameful, barely-veiled threat by Ford to cut jobs,” Fain said. “Closing 65 plants over the last 20 years wasn’t enough for the Big Three, now they want to threaten us with closing plants that aren’t even open yet. We are simply asking for a just transition to electric vehicles and Ford is instead doubling down on their race to the bottom.”

Former Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, who also is a board member for MESA, revealed an optimistic takeaway for those opposed to Gotion. 

“Obviously people were thrilled after they heard the announcement by Ford that they were pausing the project at Marshall, and I always thought that the Marshall one would be more difficult, because it was a partnership and using CATL technology and all that,” Hoekstra said in an interview with Michigan News Source, “But Gotion is the worst case scenario, Gotion is directly a Chinese Communist Party affiliated company.” 

“If grassroots people in Marshall can get Ford to delay a project, then we’re optimistic that we can stop this project in Mecosta [County],” he said in the interview. 

According to Hoekstra, the group’s opposition to Gotion covers several areas. 

“I think we make a compelling case on all three fronts: environmental, impact on the community, and national security, [MESA] is a beautiful bridging of those three,” he said, “It is a very cohesive group with all of us supporting each other.”

BlueOval has received more than $1.7 billion in subsidies and tax incentives according to Republican Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland).  Advocates of the plant have also highlighted that the plant was expected to bring 2,500 more jobs to the area and pay an average of $45,000 each.