A group opposed to a Ford Motor Co. electric vehicle battery plant in Marshall, Mich., is suing the city in hopes of stopping construction of the $3.5 billion project, according to court documents.
The plant — dubbed BlueOval Battery Park Michigan — is set to open in 2026. It is expected to create about 2,500 jobs and have the capacity to build 35 gigawatt-hours of lithium iron phosphate cells a year. That’s enough power for about 400,000 EVs.
As reported Wednesday by MLive, the Committee to Save Marshall filed a petition in May for a referendum vote on a rezoning decision that approved 741 acres of the Ford site for industrial use. The petition was rejected by the city because it lacked sufficient valid signatures and because the city had already appropriated money to the project.
In a lawsuit against the city and the city clerk filed with the Calhoun County Circuit Court on Tuesday, the Committee argues the city’s rejection of the petition was unconstitutional.
