Joseph McCarthy is dead, but the Red Scare is alive and well. That’s clear today as Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has revealed why his state didn’t pursue a battery plant from Ford.
In a statement to The Detroit News, Youngkin Press Secretary Macaulay Porter said “While Ford is an iconic American company, it became clear that this proposal would serve as a front for the Chinese Communist party, which could compromise our economic security and Virginians’ personal privacy.”
She added, “When the potentially damaging effects of the deal were realized, the plant proposal never reached a final discussion stage.” Porter went on to say “Virginians can be confident that companies with known ties to the Chinese Communist Party won’t receive a leg up from the Commonwealth’s economic incentive packages.”
Also: CATL To Supply Ford, BMW, And Others With Batteries From North American Plant
While incentive packages can be controversial and even political disasters, the decision means the state will lose out on a $3.5 (£2.8 / €3.2) billion battery plant. The Richmond Times-Dispatch says the plant would have created approximately 2,500 jobs in “one of the poorest areas of Virginia.” The paper went on to say the plant would have made lithium iron phosphate batteries in conjunction with Contemporary Amperex Technology, which is better known as CATL.
The move has Democrats furious and State Senator Ghazala Hashmi said, “The Governor’s decision to pull Virginia out of the competition for the new Ford facility puts the Commonwealth at a severe disadvantage.” Another called the move “gubernatorial malpractice” and joked it was part of a “China bashing contest” to outshine Governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis, who are also viewed as possible presidential candidates.
With Virginia out of the running, The Detroit News says Michigan is now among the states considered finalists for the plant. If they win the bid, the plant could potentially be located in either Marshall or Mundy Township, which is just south of GM’s stronghold in Flint.
