State Rep. Ann Bollin today renewed her call for Michigan to claw back the $1.8 billion in taxpayer subsidies awarded to Ford for its BlueOval electric vehicle battery plant in Marshall, following new revelations that the federal government is blacklisting CATL, the Chinese battery manufacturer partnering with Ford on the project.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Defense included CATL on its 1260H list, which identifies firms operating in the U.S. that contribute to China’s military buildup or work on behalf of its military. Companies on this list are barred from entering into Defense Department contracts, and their inclusion serves as a strong warning to American businesses about the risks of partnering with entities that may undermine U.S. national security.

“The Defense Department’s decision to blacklist CATL should serve as yet another wake-up call,” Bollin said. “Michigan taxpayers should not be footing the bill for a project tied to a company that raises serious national security concerns. This is exactly why I’ve been fighting for more accountability and oversight in how these massive subsidies are awarded.”

Bollin has consistently raised red flags about the lack of transparency and safeguards in the state’s handling of economic development incentives.

After Ford briefly paused the BlueOval project before deciding to move forward with a scaled-down facility, Bollin introduced several measures to ensure greater accountability for projects funded through the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) fund, which was used to subsidize the Marshall plant.

Among Bollin’s efforts:

• A $725.3 million negative supplemental appropriations plan to return previously allocated SOAR funds and related infrastructure funding for the Marshall project to the state’s general fund.
• Legislation to mandate annual audits of the SOAR fund.
• Proposals to establish automatic claw-back provisions requiring unspent funds to return to the general fund if a project is canceled or indefinitely paused.

Bollin said the Department of Defense’s blacklisting of CATL warrants a renewed effort to end the state’s involvement in the BlueOval project.

“These new revelations about CATL prove that my concerns were well-founded,” Bollin said. “We cannot allow Michigan’s economic future to be entangled with entities that threaten our national security. Taxpayer dollars must be safeguarded, and every dollar spent should have robust accountability measures attached.”

###