ATLANTA — The $5 billion proposed Rivian plant is fast becoming the target of Republican congressional candidates critical of the private negotiations and public dollars involved in landing the largest economic development project in Georgia history.
A weekend event near the East Atlanta Mega Site where the massive plant would be built showcased the opposition, attracting hundreds of residents who rallied against the electric vehicle project.
"These are just everyday ordinary people, ordinary citizens who are standing up for their rights, standing up for their freedoms," said Republican Mike Collins, the GOP frontrunner for the 10th Congressional District, after signing a petition opposing what he called a "disastrous" deal.
Former Democrat Vernon Jones, an ex-DeKalb County legislator who entered the race for Congress last week, used more dramatic language.
"What Brian Kemp and others did to keep this a big secret has turned into a big lie!" he posted on Facebook. "The public trust has been violated with this Rivian deal."
The rivals for the deep-red U.S. House seat are tapping into the frustration of residents in this largely rural area about 45 miles east of Atlanta, where opponents are scrambling to stop the development or perhaps limit its scope in court.
A grassroots anti-Rivian campaign that sprouted includes a website that lists Kemp and "everybody else who has aided and abetted this outrageous back-door deal" as enemies. John Strickland, one of the leaders of the effort, has encouraged neighbors to quickly organize.
"We need to unify as a community like never before," he said at a recent meeting. "We need a tidal wave of opposition."
Some complain they were kept in the dark as local and state authorities negotiated in secret with Rivian, which plans to employ about 7,500 people on a roughly 2,000-acre site. Others have vented at the public dollars to subsidize the project.
The details of the incentive package are not yet clear, and Rivian executives recently told residents that the negotiations are still ongoing. But key details have already emerged.
The state's spending plan includes $125 million for land and training costs, and tax breaks and abatements will account for hundreds of millions more. A proposal that would let the company sell its vehicle directly to Georgians is pending and infrastructure improvements are in the works.
The overall tally is expected to be the largest incentive package in state history.
Georgia economic development officials are pressing ahead. Kemp and other state leaders headlined a press conference in December to tout the promise of high-wage jobs and spinoff industries that Rivian's plant will spawn.
The automaker, meanwhile, said in a statement it will continue "introducing ourselves and working with the local communities to address their questions."
"We look forward to collaborating with state and local leaders who share our mission to bring good-paying jobs, innovation, and opportunity to Georgia, and building a better future for generations to come," the company said.
