The future Ford EV battery plant known as BlueOval Battery Park Michigan has faced its fair share of detractors since being announced back in February, including those that take issue with the fact that FoMoCo will license technology from China-based company CATL to build lithium-iron phosphate batteries there. However, some residents in Marshall, Michigan – where the Ford EV battery plant is being built – have also been trying to petition the city to reduce the size of the facility, as well as build a large nature area around it, with little success thus far. That group – the Committee for Marshall-Not the Megasite – threatened to take legal action following the denial of its request, and did precisely that earlier this month. However, that isn’t stopping progress at the new plant, according to The Detroit News.
Judge William Marietti denied the committee’s efforts to block zoning ordinance changes by seeking a preliminary injunction, which would have put Ford’s plans to build the new plant on hold indefinitely. The judge noted that an ordinance change enacted by the Marshall City Council made it immune from referendum, as it contained an appropriation of money – a common tactic that protects controversial laws from voters aiming to repeal them.
This decision paves the way for construction of Ford BlueOval Battery Park Michigan to continue unabated, and was praised by the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance, which called it a “positive step toward a brighter future.”
“This decision is a positive step toward the future of BlueOval Battery Park Michigan,” said Ford spokesperson Hannah Ooms. “As we continue to move forward in developing the site, Ford is committed to creating 2,500 good paying U.S. jobs and making a positive difference by being a good neighbor in the Marshall community.”
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