It was an ongoing headline during a busy political season, the debate over a battery plant in northern Michigan.
The community of Green Charter Township, north of Big Rapids, fought against the Goshen EV battery plant with one of its biggest points of contention being taxpayer subsidies and ties to the Chinese Communist Party. It eventually became a hot topic during the 2024 election with Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers holding multiple rallies against it.
“What this plant represents is taking taxpayer dollars to pay for a Chinese company to come to the United States with Chinese engineers to try to make a battery where 85% of the processing has to happen in China,” Rogers said.
It was also part of the national debate on electric vehicles and foreign ownership, something other Republicans would use to criticize the Biden administration and proposed mandates. And it’s a debate that will continue into 2025.
