Gotion, a lithium battery manufacturer owned by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members, is building a plant in Manteno, IL.
But it seems the one in Michigan is the only one in the news, mainly because the CCP falsely accused of supporting it and he released a statement on Truth Social stating that he does NOT.
The citizens of Manteno are fighting it in court, and vowing to replace the mayor and village board members who approved it.
Any village employees who speak out against it get fired by the board in true communist fashion.
The plant they're building (converting an old Kmart warehouse) is going to make really large lithium batteries for trucks, buses, solar farms and other applications for large scale energy storage.
I got to discuss the safety and science side of the matter with our local fire department chief a few days ago when I was at the fire house in his office where he had my burnt up lithium RC car battery & the unburnt identical one I gave him to compare it to, taken apart (carefully) on a table.
Chief said he went to Germany to tour the Gotion plant there and he is working closely with them on the one here. He did not say it's going to be 100% safe, just that he considers the 35 freight trains full of hazmat tankers that roll through the town every day to be a bigger hazard.
That's somewhat of a relief, however there's still the fact that actual card carrying communists have influence & control over our local government.
We didn't discuss that side of the issue. I think the chief realizes it's in everybody's best interests (especially his own) if he doesn't participate in the political debate over it.
