MUSKOGEE, Okla — Muskogee residents gathered at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center about a new lithium battery plant coming to town.
Several community members decided to take a stand and voice their opinions on the plant- with many concerned over money and public health.
Lorece and Lloyd Ewing have been together for 50 years and are now living in Muskogee.
They said they are most concerned that the lithium plant could affect public health.
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“This company isn’t looking out for the best in Muskogee and I don’t want anybody to get hurt," said Lorece. “I think the downtown area could be fixed, maybe they could get something in here that could get real jobs for lower-level- because this one’s gonna be for people who are engineers and things like that and Muskogee doesn’t have that many skilled workforce.”
Lloyd said he also feels like the project could be started but never finished.
“For me, the concern is that they’re venture capitalists," he said. "They take the money, they don’t build anything, and as soon as the money runs out or they get enough in their pocket, they’re gonna leave a half-finished project that will be another site for somebody else to clean up. Muskogee’s already got enough area in town that looks like a bomb site.”
2News' Isabel Flores caught up with Lorece and Lloyd after the meeting to see if their viewpoints changed.
“We’re angry," said Lorece. "The things they’re bringing could harm us.”
Lloyd also said his stance on being against the plant became even stronger.
“I found out through ignorance, our entire government system has failed us," he said.
The city plans to start construction on the plant towards the middle of the year.
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