Gotion EV Battery Plant in Big Rapids

In March, The Right Place admitting no environmental impact studies existed. At the May 9th Green Charter Township Board Meeting, Gotion VP Chuck Thelen said environmental studies had been done by a Grand Rapids firm, but failed to provide either the name of the firm or the reports. The Right Place CEO Randy Thelen could not provide the name of the Grand Rapids firm or a date for when the public can expect the report. When asked about when we could expect to see the reports, replied that “it will come in time.” Groundbreaking is scheduled for July.

An environmental impact study (EIS) is an intensive research study which is conducted by a third party in development settings to measure a wide range of things, so that stakeholders can review the impacts of the project before they agree to it. Materials used; water and air intake; water and air discharge; health and safety hazards; spillage plans; a survey of existing wildlife and ecologies; projected impacts of the development on local watersheds, aquifers, wildlife, air quality, light pollution, and so on–all of this is information we would expect to find in an EIS. 

Permits are precisely that–permission granted by state regulatory agencies to do what developers say they’re going to do, which includes promises to go about things in certain ways. When developers violate the agreements made in these permits, they rarely risk closure–instead, they face fines, which are typically cut in half if they go uncontested. Fines for violating permits are notoriously cheaper than the cost of obtaining the permits themselves. More critically: permits do not entail anywhere near the scope of research contained in an EIS, as EISes are expensive, and such research is not budgeted for in the permitting process.

Environmental impact studies are typically in the initial documentation that’s provided to stakeholders–in this case, that includes the public, as we are both funding it as taxpayers and we are impacted as residents. That gives all stakeholders involved time to review the materials, run it past their own experts, and potentially request further studies or second opinions. With Gotion’s timeline of breaking ground in July, and no date yet for when we can expect to see an EIS, it’s clear that Gotion has no intention of allowing the public to properly review an EIS.