GREEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A judge has ordered a township board to stop blocking efforts to bring a large electric vehicle battery plant along US-131.
Gotion, a China-based manufacturer, was granted a preliminary injunction Friday after arguing that Mecosta County's Green Township has refused to stick to an agreement made by elected officials who were subsequently removed from office.
Despite that recall last November, a deal still is a deal, Gotion said.
Gotion “has already invested over $24 million into the project by way of real estate acquisition costs and other related fees,” U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering said.
She ordered the township to comply with a previously approved development agreement while the case remains in court.
The company plans to make components for electric vehicle batteries at the location outside Big Rapids. The project, valued at more than $2 billion, could bring thousands of jobs.
It has the support of state officials, including Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Millions of dollars in financial incentives have been approved.
But Green Township apparently isn't excited. The supervisor, clerk, treasurer and two trustees — all Republicans — were voted out of office last fall and replaced by anti-Gotion candidates. Some critics, citing ties to China, said the factory could be a threat to U.S. national security.
READ MORE: Demonstrators say EV battery plant would be a foothold for China
The new township board, in a 4-3 vote, rescinded an agreement that would extend water to the factory site from the city of Big Rapids and also voted, 5-2, to drop support for the project.
“This case is simply about a township exercising its constitutional and legislative authority to control its future,” township attorney T. Seth Koches said in a court filing.
Gotion is still waiting for a federal review of its plans before moving ahead with a re-zoning application for the portion of land in Green Township. The majority of the battery facility is being built in Big Rapids Township.
A local animal rescue nonprofit announced last year it would be moving as it is surrounded by the Gotion property.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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