Chinese Energy Firm Cutting Down Trees in Michigan for EV Battery Plant 

February 21, 2024

In Mecosta County, Michigan, a Chinese green energy company is clearing trees to build an electric vehicle battery plant, despite the irony that the plant aims to support the state’s climate goals while simultaneously destroying nature.

Fox News reports, 

“Gotion Inc. — whose parent company is Hefei, China-based Gotion High-Tech — said it has initiated its tree-cutting process this week to make way for its controversial EV project in Mecosta County, Michigan, which has received support from Democrats and climate activists, but opposition from Republicans and national security experts. The firm said the process is legal and pushed back against concerns raised by locals.”

Local residents have grown more and more concerned about this project. Especially when finding out the state government is using taxpayer money to fund a project that has ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“Gotion first unveiled its development plans for the project in October 2022 alongside Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, agreeing to invest $2.4 billion in two 550,000-square-foot production plants and other supporting facilities across a large plot of land in Green Charter Township. Then, in August, the firm purchased 270 acres of land for the project, including land zoned for industrial, agricultural and residential use. However, amid increasing opposition to the project over Gotion’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party, the project has faced delays even as the Whitmer administration has earmarked nearly $200 million in taxpayer funding for the development. While mass tree-cutting to make way for construction was originally slated to occur late last year, the process was delayed until this week.”

This past summer, we published a report, Where Green Meets Red, exploring how the eco-left’s environmental agenda makes America dependent on China. Our federal and local governments need to be more aware of China’s control over producing and processing energy minerals required to build renewable machinery. What is happening in Michigan is an excellent example of what will happen if we do not bring back American energy independence.