A number of Georgia locals have expressed opposition to Rivian’s planned $5 billion factory in the state.
The facility will be split across the Morgan and Walton counties with construction set to start in the summer. It is expected to employ 7,500 people and have the capacity to build 400,000 electric vehicles annually.
However, Auto News reports that a number of residents living near where the facility will be located have expressed concerns about traffic, environmental damage, and continued urban sprawl from Atlanta. A law firm has even been hired to fight the project and while the plant is still going ahead, Georgia economic development commissioner Pat Wilson acknowledged that additional public engagement is needed.
Read Also: Rivian To Announce Plans To Build $5 Billion Truck Plant In Georgia
“We’re going to have to move as quickly as we can to make sure we’re addressing all the concerns that the community has,” he said. “But at same time, we’ve got to meet the long-term timeline of the company.”
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp supports the project and believes it will give the state a foothold in automotive electrification. The state has already started purchasing the land to be used for the plant from local counties so that the zoning and compliance process can be consolidated into a single forum.
Rivian acknowledged that it will listen to the concerns of locals.
“For us to be successful in Georgia, it’s important that we spend time listening to local concerns, addressing them as best we can, and working hard to be the kind of neighbor the community would like to see,” the automaker said in a statement.
Rivian’s Georgia factory will be the first new automotive assembly plant since Kia established a site in the state in 2006. In addition to building vehicles, the factory is expected to produce battery cells as well.
