Michigan residents slam Democrat-led $2.4 billion proposal for Chinese green energy plants

Angry Michigan residents criticized their lawmakers in the Democratic state for allowing the construction of a China-backed green energy project.

In a public hearing before the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee, locals condemned plans to use $175 million in taxpayers’ money to build an electric vehicle battery factory in Big Rapids Township, owned by Chinese technology company Gotion.

Despite being aggressively challenged for considering the plans, the committee passed the measure by a narrow 10-9 vote, with every Republican and three Democrats on the committee speaking out against it.

The approval comes amid growing scrutiny over China’s ability to buy large amounts of farmland in the US, which lawmakers and citizens alike fear would give the country undue leverage in America.

Before the committee finally approved the proposal, Big Rapids Township’s clerk Hannah Saez told the committee she was “deeply disappointed.”

Saez criticized local lawmakers for falling in line with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who announced in October that Gotion, a subsidiary of China-based company Gotion High-Tech, would invest $2.4 billion to build two production facilities of 550,000 square feet on 260 acres in Michigan.

“However, I can affirm that our community is now united in ways it never would have been before. They don’t want this,” Saez continued.

“Thousands of Michiganders will be watching today. I know you all receive emails and phone calls daily. I know you’re under pressure. I know you’re probably forced.

“I beg you to do what is right here, even if corruption knocks at your door.”

According to Gotion’s plans, the company would invest $2.4 billion to build two 550,000-square-foot manufacturing plants on 260 acres in Michigan

The proposal was approved by a narrow 9 to 10 vote. Pictured: The State Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan

Michigan residents furiously objected to Chinese company Gotion’s plans to build an electric battery factory in the state

Saez was followed in her comments by Marjorie Steele, who denounced the committee for quickly scheduling the vote without due diligence on the risks.

“I’m angry,” she began. “I am angry that this vote was put on the agenda today with as little information as possible so that people like me wouldn’t know it was happening.

“I am angry that you, our elected officials, have ignored my community’s pleas to bring this ballot until some semblance of due diligence can be conducted.”

“I can promise you that we will not stop at the local level,” she added.

“We are tired of being abused and we are not alone. This is not just a Mecosta County issue. Townships and counties across the state are uniting and sharing resources, manpower and grassroots activism. Your votes today, senators, are lines in the sand.”

Many Big Rapids residents who spoke at the hearing criticized China’s increasing presence in the area, with one going so far as to claim that the project was part of the CCP’s plan to “overthrow the United States without to fire a shot’.

“I think any Chinese communist factory that buys up 700 acres of land in Michigan is a concern for all citizens across the state,” Cheryl Vitito added.

“This CCP-controlled company represents communism and threatens our way of life and our God-given and constitutional freedoms.

“We don’t want the CCP here through the Gotion factory, because they have no regard for the value and dignity of human life.”

“This company swears allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party and should be considered a threat to our national security,” added Shirley Schaefer, another resident.

State Senator Sarah Anthony, the chairman of the appropriations committee, was among those who voted in favor of the proposal

Only three Democrats on the committee voted against the measure, including Sylvia Santana, pictured

According to Fox newsGotion High-Tech’s corporate bylaws, Gotion’s parent company, require the company to “conduct party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China.”

Concerns about the Chinese company’s expansion into the state have met fierce opposition from local Republican lawmakers, including Kyle Luce, the supervisor of nearby Barton Township.

Luce said 85 percent of residents in his jurisdiction, which is close to the now-approved electricity supply, voted against the project in a poll.

“Our citizens are concerned about the time frame going on here,” Luce told the committee.

“The timing seems to be accelerating exponentially to, in our view, try to close the deal and get this done before people have a chance to speak out, residents have a chance to speak out. And individuals, the fine senators, daily dig up information about the CCP’s involvement.”