Concerned Citizens of Manteno, the non-profit group representing Manteno, Illinois residents opposed to construction of an electric vehicle battery plant in the village, filed a lawsuit in Kankakee County Circuit Court Friday against Gotion and the Village of Manteno seeking to block construction and operation of the plant.
Details on the lawsuit are in the non-profit group’s press release reproduced below.
Gotion is a Chinese company tied to the Chinese Communist Party. The $2 billion project is to be subsidized by $536 million from the State of Illinois and Gotion will be eligible for $7.5 billion of U.S. federal tax credits.
Polling conducted in October found overwhelming pubic opposition to the plant statewide and in Kankakee County.
Wirepoints is collecting major news and opinion columns about the Gotion controversy here.
-Mark Glennon
CONCERNED CITIZENS OF MANTENO MEDIA PRESS RELEASE
DATE: December 22, 2023
Contact Name: Amanda Piker Phone: (815)-450-5058
Email: nogotionillinois@gmail.com
Manteno Advocates Take Legal Action Against Gotion and Manteno
Manteno, IL – December 22, 2023 – Concerned Citizens of Manteno, the non-profit group representing Manteno residents battling to protect their community and stop the Gotion Plant, together with a local Manteno resident, took legal action in Kankakee County Circuit Court against Gotion and the Village of Manteno today. We filed suit to stop Gotion from pumping highly toxic chemicals into our community, to protect our national security, and to compel Manteno to overturn the illegal rezoning of the Gotion property from I-1 to I-2.
Since we have learned of this dangerous plant, which was kept secret from us by our mayor, we have been leading the fight to protect our children and our homes. We have organized rallies, spoken at public hearings, demanded answers from our representatives, and kept pressure on Gotion. To date, our elected officials and Gotion thought they could ignore us.
Today, we proved we will not be silent and we will not be ignored.
Our complaint alleges that the rezoning of the Gotion Property from I-1 to I-2 was unconstitutional, arbitrary, capricious, and illegal, and violates the Manteno Village Code and the Manteno Comprehensive Plan. The complaint also asserts claims from the local Manteno resident, alleging a violation of 65 ILCS 5/11-13-15 for Gotion’s intended use of what we believe to be highly toxic chemicals such as lithium and NMP, and allegations that the Gotion Plant will be a public and private nuisance. Residents and our lawyer tried to warn the Planning Commission and the Village Board that the rezoning would be illegal. Those warnings were ignored. But no longer.
The lawsuit asks the Court for an order to declare the rezoning illegal, stop Gotion from ever operating its dangerous plant, and more. The legal documents are available upon request.
Our attorneys, Robby Dube, Mark Blando, and Rachel Kurth of Eckland & Blando LLP, have decades of experience fighting illegal government actions and protecting citizens’ rights. They have been fighting to protect citizens from the environmental and security risks posed by these plants across the country. Media can contact them at (612) 236-0160.
Eckland & Blando LLP is partnering with former Village of Manteno attorney Dave Bergdahl, who brings decades of municipal experience. They are confident the Court will reverse Manteno’s illegal rezoning and grant us the legal relief we seek.
Donation checks to “Concerned Citizens of Manteno” to aid in our legal fight can be sent to PO Box 405, Manteno, IL 60950. Online contributions may be made to us at https://www.nogotion- illinois.com/. Concerned Citizens of Manteno’s Facebook page can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1047999116553032/?ref=share_group_link.
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Take back your town. Good for you. A lot of people are very critical and tell you that you can’t fight back, it’s a waste of time. Show them what you can do. We’ll all be watching
Sounds like a worthwhile cause to send a Christmas donation to.
JB, Just Bull…., Pritzker, aka The Toilet Bowl King, really wants this plant built to further move his push to become the Pres.
Instead of sugarplums dancing in his head
His vision is “Hail to the Chief “ while he dines on half a cow roasting over an open fire.
They all deserve to be voted out of office.
Can’t wait for comrade Pritzger to hold a press conference, slavishly and lovingly carried by the local, water carrying excuse for the media, where he begins name calling, banging on the podium and crying like a child denied his candy. Raoul will most likely be standing by as reinforcement, unless he’s off meddling in the trans rights laws of another state.