When Taiwanese electronics company Foxconn announced plans last week to invest $10 billion in a new manufacturing plant in Wisconsin, it put a new spotlight on the state.
The decision was announced at a joint White House appearance by President Donald Trump and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and was regarded as a major move for the governor as he prepares to seek re-election in 2018. But in the days since the deal, which involves billions in tax breaks for the foreign company, was announced, it has spurred an emotionally charged debate.
For one thing, Walker has touted the potential for the project to create 13,000 jobs. while the company has said it would create 3,000 over four years. That's left some to worry that the outcome wouldn’t be worth the investment.
Van Wanggaard says people shouldn’t be focused on a number. The Republican state senator from Racine remains excited about the deal, confident about its job creation prospects in southeastern Wisconsin.
"I just love all these naysayers. They have no clue," Wanggaard said. "They look and they limit their assessment to 13,000 jobs. This is going to be tens of thousands of jobs. We’re looking at 15,000 construction jobs alone over a four-year period just for building the complex."
The proposed factory is 20 million square feet, a giant campus the size of 11 football fields.
Wanggaard said his estimate doesn’t include the 40,000 or 50,000 jobs that could be added if ancillary companies make their way into town following the electronics giant.
Others are not so convinced. Jimmy Anderson, a Democratic state representative from Fitchburg, said the amount of money is too much to ask from taxpayers. That $3 billion breaks down to $1,200 per household, he said.
"We’re asking a lot from our taxpayers in order to pay for this deal," Anderson said.
He worries that the state doesn’t have a budget for such an investment in the first place.
"As we’ve seen in the past, we’ve cut from the schools, we've skimmed from the road projects, and we’ve seen a lot of deterioration across the state," Anderson said. "I’m worried that by doing this deal we’re going to be seeing a lot more."
Others have brought up concerns over a potentially negative environmental impact. Walker's incentives bill would exempt Foxconn from certain environmental regulations including impact statements and permits for filling wetlands and building on lake beds.
Local conservation groups Clean Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Environment Research and Policy Center and the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters have voiced opposition to the bill.
Wanggaard said the potential environmental impacts have been overstated.
"I have to drink that water, I have to raise my family here, and I surely do not want my environment to be destroyed either just because I’m a Republican," he said. "There are federal guidelines that’ll be in place, and the (Department of Natural Resources) is still going to be looking at what’s happening here."
