MORGAN COUNTY
Construction is expected to begin within the next year on Rivian Automotive’s $5 billion, 2,000-acre Stanton Springs electric vehicle manufacturing facility.
Many Morgan County residents remain opposed to the plant, however, as the company increases efforts to make progress.
The Morgan Land, Sky & Water Preservation group — also known as “No2Rivian” — began in 2021, shortly after the EV manufacturing project was announced in December of that year. A few Rutledge citizens initially formed the “No2Rivian” movement, which quickly expanded when they began a private Facebook group of the same name.
Morgan County resident Chas Moore began his involvement with “No2Rivian” in 2022, shortly after the movement started. He, alongside the residents opposing Rivian, remains concerned about the planned development due to concerns about population growth, resource allocation, and, especially, potential environmental issues.
“It’s not that we dislike EVs or anything like that, even though EVs in a rural area [such as Rutledge] are probably not practical,” Moore said. “They may be useful in a city, but we don’t live in one.”
According to the City of Rutledge’s 2024 annual water quality report, the Rutledge Water System is specifically a groundwater system and utilizes multiple wells for the resource. The City of Madison's official website states that within city limits, it operates a municipal water system utilizing two surface water treatment plants.
Moore, who works full-time as a mechanic, said he has “learned a lot about water and substantial groundwater,” and therefore believes that the planned manufacturing plant could cause harm to Rutledge’s water systems.
He added that Rutledge pumps water from three wells and does not have “the water to provide for an industrial manufacturing facility.”
“What we don’t want is us all being on wells and them producing lithium-ion batteries or phosphate-iron batteries on top of our groundwater recharge area,” Moore said. “If there’s a fire [from the battery production], do you think the Rutledge volunteer fire department is going to be able to handle that?”
The Rivian Stanton Springs plant projects to create 7,500 new jobs within the state. The “No2Rivian” movement maintains concerns regarding industrial growth, stating that the Morgan County Comprehensive Plan cannot support such significant developments and a potential population influx.
“Our comprehensive plan in Morgan County doesn’t support heavy industry nor the growth to support a facility of 7,500 employees,” Moore said.
The Morgan County Charter School system currently has four schools: primary, elementary, middle, and high school. Moore said he believes the school system and the county will likely get overwhelmed with a population influx as a result of the industrial plant.
“All of these schools are in the heart of Madison. If 3,500 of those employees wanted to live here, and 70% of those employees are married with children, and each one of them has two kids, that would be around 5,000.” Moore said. “We’re nowhere prepared educationally for that kind of growth.”
Despite Rivian and the State of Georgia’s recent attempts to move forward on the facility’s construction, Moore said he remains confident that opposing efforts in the community can prevent the development altogether. The Georgia Department of Economic Development, along with the JDA, filed lawsuits earlier this year against a group of opposing citizens and demanded more than $500,000 in legal fees. The latest hearing in court was on Aug. 13, and a final ruling is yet to be made.
“I believe that Judge [Stephen] Bradley’s going to do the right thing, and I know he understands the gravity of this situation,” Moore said. “I feel the only right thing is to deny the motion for attorney’s fees. Otherwise, it gives these plaintiffs a straight path to the federal supreme court on grounds of a First Amendment violation.”