BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – On Wednesday, the Mecosta Environmental and Security Alliance (MESA) will be hosting a rally in Big Rapids with Presidential Candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, as the keynote speaker.
MESA “exists to raise awareness, educate the community, and fund legal efforts to stop the construction of [the Gotion facility], and oppose any attempt to bring a business into our community that threatens harm to our environment, or has ties to foreign governments who threaten to harm America,” according to the organization.
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Jason Kruse, president of MESA, spoke with Michigan News Source about the upcoming event.
“This movement is a bipartisan movement, it is not a partisan movement,” Kruse said in the interview. “What we’ve realized in this movement, is that we have an elites against grassroots first, and we are a grassroots movement first and foremost.”
Kruse also explained the dual concerns of the organization, and how it should matter to people on all sides of the aisle.
“It’s not just national security, but also the environment, something we should all agree on,” Kruse added later, “So we welcome any support that we can get both Republicans and Democrats, and really it’s very exciting to have a presidential candidate come in and help boost awareness for this problem, it’s not just a Mecosta county, it’s a nationwide issue.”
The Gotion plant, which is supposed to reduce Michigan’s reliance on foreign supply chains for Electric Vehicles and components, is just one of a few in Michigan under construction and received mixed support. MESA recently reached out to Gotion alerting the company and others of the organizations intent to sue over environmental concerns.
“The suit is in accordance with Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act, which allows private citizens to sue anyone that harms, kills, maims, or damages the habit of an endangered species,” MESA said. “The proposed Gotion gigafactory sits on property containing several endangered species such as: Bald Eagle, Karner Blue Butterfly, Rusty Patched Bumblebee.”
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The event in Big Rapids will kick off at 6:30 p.m. at the Majestic Friesians Horse Farm
Michigan News Source will be reporting live from the event so stay tuned for updates.
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