Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate on January 24 in Lansing, Michigan. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
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.
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Crain's Detroit Business reported earlier this week that one local logging business had been awarded the contract but ultimately backed out over the sustained local opposition, saying they didn't want to be "tied up in a bunch of gobbledygook." The opposition appears to have been spearheaded, in part, by Marjorie Steele, the founder of the Economic Development Responsibility Alliance of Michigan.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer engages in a conversation with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, left, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, center, on September 19, 2023, in New York City. Gotion has developed plans in both Michigan and Illinois. (John Nacion/WireImage via Getty Images)
"Cutting trees does not require a permit from EGLE if the cutting does not occur within a regulated wetland," Johnston said.
In addition to locals, the project has received pushback from state and federal lawmakers, in addition to national security experts. In a House hearing last month, former CIA Directors Leon Panetta and Mike Pompeo warned that Gotion's project could be covertly used by Chinese assets for espionage.
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This week, Republican Michigan state Sens. Jonathan Lindsey and Lana Theis demanded the Whitmer administration to halt funding for the project in light of the concerns raised by Panetta and Pompeo.
"National security experts from both sides of the aisle have sounded the alarm about China’s attempts to infiltrate and compromise our safety through industrial espionage," Lindsey said in a statement on Wednesday. "Yet, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer continues to ignore their warnings and further place our state and nation at risk — while using taxpayer dollars to do so."
Whitmer's office didn't respond to a request for comment.
Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
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