MANTENO, Ill. — The Manteno Village Board on Monday night approved a zoning change that clears the way for a $2 billion Chinese-owned electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant that has been championed by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The board’s 5-1 vote comes about three months after Pritzker touted his success in luring Gotion to build the plant in Manteno — a town of about 9,000 people roughly 40 miles south of Chicago — with $536 million in state incentives, along with the potential for federal incentives. The plant offers the prospect of creating about 2,600 jobs and fits into Pritzker’s goal of making Illinois a hub for electric vehicle manufacturing.
While potentially one of the state’s most significant economic development projects in recent memory, the plant has generated controversy and criticism. Some residents complained they weren’t provided enough information about the project, while a group of far-right Republicans led the way in stoking fears about the prospect of communist infiltration given the Chinese ownership of the plant’s parent company.
Monday’s board meeting was held in an elementary school gymnasium and attracted about 170 people, roughly half of them demonstrating opposition to the project. One person hoisted a sign that read “NO GO ON GOTION CHOOSE MANTENO,” and speakers who raised concerns about environmental hazards, fire safety and Chinese influence were met with loud applause and shouts of approval.
“Vote ‘no’ and tell J.B. to take this somewhere else,” one woman told the board before the vote.
After the meeting, Manteno resident Kerri Rolniak said she was frustrated with the tax breaks Gotion is in line for and also has concerns about environmental and safety issues.
“We’re upset. We’re mad. We feel that they’re being very un-American. They’re all about themselves,” Rolniak said of the Village Board. “It should be about we the people. And it wasn’t about we the people. It was about their agenda.”
The plant had the support of Manteno Mayor Timothy Nugent, who after the meeting acknowledged how polarizing the proposal has been to his community.
“I hate to see the town divided,” Nugent said. “Believe me, there’s views on all sides and no one has a monopoly on the right views.”
Supporters held signs that said “GO ON GOTION.” Patrick Young, president of the Kankakee and Iroquois Building Trades, said he backed the project because the company signed a labor agreement saying they’re going to use “100% of union crafts” for part of the project as well as any “ancillary work,” such as for improvements to area roads and a nearby bridge.
“It’s going to generate revenue. Listen, not every student that’s going to Manteno High School is going to go to college,” said Young, who is also a business representative for Local 150 for the International Union of Operating Engineers. “Manufacturing is gone from Kankakee County. This is bringing manufacturing back. And I think it’s a good start.”
Gotion Inc. is a Fremont, California-based subsidiary of Gotion High-Tech of China, which is 30% owned by Germany’s Volkswagen. Critics have cited the corporate bylaws of the parent firm that require the company to “carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution” of the Chinese Communist Party. Such language is standard for Chinese corporations under the laws of their country.
Supporters of the project, slated for an 150-acre abandoned Kmart warehouse distribution site near Interstate Highway 57, dismiss such fears by noting long-standing Chinese investments in the U.S. They point to the prospect of thousands of jobs paying an average of $55,000 a year and the project’s potential to spur local economic development.
The controversy in Manteno echoes one that ensued following Gotion’s earlier announced plans for a $2.4 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Big Rapids, Michigan, about 50 miles north of Grand Rapids. That project has gained national political attention, with GOP presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy attending a rally in opposition within the last few months.
The Pritzker administration has said Gotion has been working in the United States for about 10 years, starting with a Silicon Valley research and development center in 2014 under President Barack Obama and opening a Cleveland-area facility in 2018 under President Donald Trump.
Stoking fears about the plant’s Chinese connection in the last few months were state lawmakers from the Illinois House Freedom Caucus, a group of the most conservative legislators in the House who are from central or southeastern Illinois. But none appeared to be in attendance for Monday’s board meeting.
Manteno officials have attempted to allay concerns about the plant’s environmental impact and the potential for fires by saying they plan to upgrade hazardous materials training for the town’s firefighters, and make changes to their various safety policies if necessary.
The lone vote against the zoning change came from board member Samuel Martin, who had no comment after the meeting.
Nugent said the board’s vote means the Gotion project site will be converted from “light development” to “heavy development.” The session was the last public meeting on the project, and Gotion will now have to go through the village’s permitting process.
Pritzker applauded the board’s action in a statement released by his office Monday night.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the village to meet our clean energy goals and continue expanding the state’s manufacturing footprint,” Pritzker spokesman Alex Gough said in a text message.
Pearson reported from Chicago.