The Mecosta County Board of Commissioners has revoked support for the controversial Gotion battery plant set to be built near Big Rapids.
This decision has been reversed. A previous resolution stated the county’s support for the factory, which was expected to bring 2,300 jobs to the area by 2030.
The contentious electrical vehicle battery plant has caused rising tensions throughout the community in recent years.
In 2023, Big Rapids saw protests against the project, with public outcry regarding the factory’s possible environmental impacts on the surrounding area and the company’s ties to China.
Gotion North America, Inc. is based in Silicon Valley and has been in the United States since 2014. However, the company is a subsidiary of Gotion High Tech, located in China.
That same year, Big Rapids made national news when then-Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy spoke against the Gotion factory at a local farm.
In Aug. 2024, now-Vice President elect JD Vance held a rally at the same farm alongside former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, former Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan Mike Rogers and former chairman of the Michigan GOP Pete Hoekstra.
The rally, attended by 2,000 people, put an exclamation point on Republican Party opposition to Gotion North America’s proposed battery plant.
In response to the decision, Republican Congressman John Moolenaar for second district, which includes Mecosta County, believes this decision supports what the county feels.
In response to the revocation, Republican Rep. of Michigan’s 2nd District, John Moolenaar, stated that the decision represents the feelings of Mecosta County.
“The Mecosta County Commissioners’ decision to end support for Gotion is yet another sign that the people of Mecosta County do not want Gotion,” Moolenaar said.
Moolenaar, who has been a critic of Gotion since the debate began in 2023, serves as Chair for the House Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
Last year, Gotion sued Green Charter Township following the election of a new board, claiming that it was an attempt to undermine the project’s progression.
Ferris State was brought into the Gotion debate when rumors of Ferris planning to house Chinese citizens employed by Gotion, Inc. were brought to people’s attention, which led President Bill Pink to release a statement in early 2023 denying said rumors.
Ferris Dems President and sports communication junior Jonathen Hart was disappointed to hear about the board’s decision.
“I think it is completely disheartening that we have pulled everything away from the community that fought for this in the past year and a half,” Hart said. “Economically, I feel this program would have helped Big Rapids thrive in a way that we haven’t seen in a while.”
Hart also expressed discontent towards the board for representing Big Rapids with this decision, stating that Gotion had the potential to put Big Rapids on the map nationally.
Despite the concern for the environmental impact the plant could have on the area, Hart stated that the opportunity available to the community from this project would outweigh the pollution concerns.
“From what I have heard, there are going to be plants in other places, not just here,” Hart said. “It’s the same damage that car factories do, but it’s just a factory. Every city with a factory knows what is happening.”
The promise of new jobs and economic opportunities was not enough to convince Desiree Rowe, who lives within city limits, to support the project.
“Specifically, the water usage and containment of chemicals they could be using is concerning,” Rowe said. “I feel like we do need that for our town’s economy, but I feel like there are better avenues.”
Rowe further explained that other, bigger issues in the community need to be addressed rather than the focus on Gotion.
Graphic media management junior Drew Gendron-Wesley expressed concern over the potential loss of job opportunities in the area if the Gotion project is not completed.
“All of those jobs not being offered can make it harder for a lot of people to find jobs, especially in this area,” Gendron-Wesley said. “It would be great for students, but even for the community as well. Because there are people who need jobs everywhere.”
Gendron-Wesley also commented that environmental impact is not to be taken lightly, given the abundance of wildlife in the area. The idea of having natural resources stripped away in a small community is cause for concern.
Gotion has not released a statement following the decision of the county board.
Jonathen Hart was previously employed by the Ferris State Torch.