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When residents of Eagle Township stopped a proposed semiconductor megasite in November, Michigan Capitol Confidential was there to cover the story. Unfortunately, this was just one of many wasteful and unpopular projects the Michigan Economic Development Corporation was backing. CapCon has been reporting on state-fueled developments for more than a decade, and we will continue helping local residents who are pushing back after being left out of the decision-making process.
The 1,400-acre project — the Michigan Manufacturing Innovation Campus — was questionable from the start. Although no company was ready to invest in the Clinton County property, a representative of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation told Bridge Michigan in August 2022 there was a unique opportunity available. The MEDC wanted to move quickly to get the site ready.
CapCon reported on the lack of transparency involving the land in 2023. Michigan State University, which owned the land, had responded to a Freedom of Information Act request for details about any plans to develop it. MSU’s response was heavily redacted.
A now-deceased farmer had given MSU the land for agricultural purposes, but the new plan supported by the MEDC called for an industrial megasite. Local residents organized to stop it. They pursued a successful recall election against Eagle Township Supervisor Patti Schafer in November 2023, after learning she signed a nondisclosure agreement with the MEDC.
Residents did not stop there. They revised the township’s master plan to safeguard against hushed and rushed deals. And they joined with residents from several townships to form the Economic Development Responsibility Alliance, a nonprofit to hold regulatory agencies accountable.
The alliance got involved in a similar process in Mecosta County. A plan by battery manufacturer Gotion to create a plant in Big Rapids Township faced backlash from locals and even some skepticism from federal officials about a government-aided development.
The citizens alliance asked Gotion for its plans to address the environmental and safety impact the new site would have on the community, Carman Bean, a Big Rapids Township board member, told CapCon. In January, the county board of supervisors, with new members, voted 5-2 to withdraw its support for the project.
Michigan residents may face many other land-intensive projects that involve alternative energy projects and are backed by government’s corporate welfare schemes. With your help, we will report the facts about the details that government and subsidized corporations don’t want you to know.
