Furious Michigan residents slammed their Democratic state lawmakers for facilitating the construction of a Chinese-backed green energy project.
During a public hearing for the Michigan Senate’s appropriations committee, locals condemned plans to use $175 million in taxpayer funds to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Big Rapids Township owned by Chinese tech company Gotion.
Despite being aggressively confronted for considering the plans, the committee went on to approve the measure in a tight 10-9 vote, with every Republican and three Democrats on the committee coming out against it.
The approval comes amid mounting focus upon China’s ability to buy large amounts of farmland in the US, which both lawmakers and citizens fear could allow the nation undue influence in America.
Hannah Saez, left, and Marjorie Steele, right, were among those who slammed the committee for even considering the plans
Speaking before the committee ultimately approved the proposal, Hannah Saez, the clerk of the Big Rapids Township, told the committee she was ‘gravely disappointed’.
Saez criticized the local lawmakers for falling in line behind Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who announced in October that Gotion, which is a subsidiary of China-based company Gotion High-Tech, would invest $2.4 billion to construct two 550,000 square-foot production plants across 260 acres in Michigan.
‘I can attest, however, that our community is now united in ways they would have never been before. They do not want this,’ Saez continued.
‘Thousands of Michiganders will be watching today. I know you all receive daily emails and phone calls. I know you’re under pressure. I know you’ve probably been coerced.
‘I beg of you to do what is right here even if corruption is knocking at your door.’
Gotion’s plans would see the firm invest $2.4 billion to construct two 550,000 square-foot production plants across 260 acres in Michigan
The proposal was approved in a tight 9-10 vote. Pictured: The state capitol building in Lansing, Michigan
Michigan residents furiously objected to Chinese-based company Gotion’s plans to build an electric battery plant in the state
Saez was followed in her remarks by Marjorie Steele, who slammed the committee for quickly scheduling the vote without ‘due diligence’ over the risks.
‘I’m angry,’ she began. ‘I’m angry that this vote was slipped into the agenda today with as little information as possible so that people like me wouldn’t know it was happening.
‘I’m angry that you, our elected officials, have ignored my community’s pleas to table this vote until some small semblance of due diligence can be performed.’
‘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, sharing resources, manpower and grassroots activism. Your votes today, senators, are lines drawn in the sand.’
Many Big Rapids residents who spoke at the hearing slammed the mounting presence of China in the area, with one going as far as to claim the project was part of the CCP’s plan to ‘overthrow the United States without firing a shot’.
‘I think that any Chinese communist plant buying up 700 acres of Michigan land is a concern to all citizens throughout the state,’ added Cheryl Vitito.
‘This CCP-controlled company represents communism and is a threat to our way of life and our God-given and constitutional freedoms.
‘We don’t want the CCP here by way of the Gotion plant as they have no regard for the value and dignity of human life.’
‘This company pledges allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party and should be determined as a threat to our national security,’ added Shirley Schaefer, another resident.
State Senator Sarah Anthony, the chair of the appropriations committee, was among those who voted for the proposal
Only three Democrats on the committee voted against the measure, including Sylvia Santana, pictured
According to Fox News, the corporate bylaws of Gotion High-Tech, the parent company of Gotion, mandates that the company carries out ‘Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China.’
Concerns over the Chinese company’s expansion in the state has seen fierce opposition from local Republican lawmakers, including Kyle Luce, the supervisor of nearby Barton Township.
Luce said 85 percent of the residents in his jurisdiction, which is near to the now-approved electric facility, opposed the project in a poll.
‘Our citizens are concerned with the timeframe that’s going on here,” Luce told the committee.
‘The timing seems to be sped up exponentially to, in our opinion, try to seal 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, are digging up information daily about the CCP involvement.’