Chapter 223 Fast-Track Approval Channel for Land

Before going to Detroit, Mu Xin needed to finalize the site selection for the factory land.

This matter could not wait until after meeting the people from BYD to address; the question Zhou Mingyuan asked in the text message about whether the site conditions were met was not asked casually.

BYD receives thousands of overseas cooperation inquiries every year, and the reason the vast majority are screened out in the first round is not a lack of money or technology, but because the other party simply does not have a piece of already-approved industrial land.

Drawing a beautiful factory rendering on a PPT and having a land use certificate with a government official seal in Ohio have completely different weights in BYD's business evaluation system.

Mu Xin asked Jessica to mark all industrial land within a ten-mile radius of Oxford Town. That afternoon, Jessica downloaded the latest land-use zoning map from the planning department's website and marked three potential plots on it.

The first plot was in the north of Oxford Town, near the theme park construction site, right next to the edge of the state park's forest area. The land area was large enough, but the terrain costs were on the high side, and the groundwater level was shallow; the costs for the factory's foundation and drainage system would be about 20% higher than the other two plots.

The second plot was in the west of Oxford Town, near the exit of Interstate 75. The terrain was flat and adjacent to the highway, making logistics convenient, but one-third of the plot belonged to an agricultural protection buffer zone, which required a vote by the County Council to approve a change in land use.

The third plot was directly south of Oxford Town, right next to Mu Xin's Power Company microgrid substation, designated as industrial reserve land. This plot had already been listed as a candidate site for foreign manufacturing investment by Governor DeWine's office the year before last. The land nature was already industrial, so it did not need re-approval. It was about 300 mu, enough to build an assembly line for a few thousand commercial vehicles annually and supporting parts warehouses.

Mu Xin glanced at the map. The third plot had another best point: it was right next to his microgrid substation.

This meant that the assembly plant's power supply would not need new high-voltage transmission lines to be laid; a dedicated line could be drawn directly from the substation.

After installing solar panels on the factory roof, the plant's daytime electricity would mainly rely on self-generation, and it would draw power directly from the microgrid at night and on cloudy days. The source of every kilowatt-hour of electricity would be within his control, unaffected by PJM grid price fluctuations.

Although this plot was only about 300 mu, which was a bit small compared to the footprint of a Tesla gigafactory, it was sufficient for now.

"This is the one. The area is enough, the land nature doesn't need to be changed, and it's right next to the substation." Mu Xin pointed at the third plot with his finger. "How long will approval take?"

"The land nature is already industrial, so it doesn't need a County Council vote to change its use, but foreign manufacturing investment requires approval from the Ohio Department of Commerce's Investment Review Committee. Usually, completing this process takes about two months."

"At the same time, the Environmental Protection Agency needs to conduct a pre-environmental impact assessment on the factory's wastewater treatment plan, which takes about a month."

"Adding in the approval for factory building permits, in total, you will need at least three months to get the construction permit." Jessica calculated and said.

"Is there any way to shorten the approval time?" Mu Xin asked.

"The Governor has the authority to initiate a fast-track approval channel for major projects. According to Ohio administrative law, the Governors Office has the right to submit foreign investment projects that align with the state's manufacturing development strategy directly to the Investment Review Committee's fast-track queue."

"After the committee completes the material review, the Governors Office level directly grants administrative approval for land use, and the environmental impact assessment approval is prioritized and advanced simultaneously."

"Governor DeWine has never used the full authority of the fast-track channel on any foreign investment project because every time he uses it, he receives complaints from the opposition party and non-manufacturing industries in the state."

"However, I don't think either party will have any objections to your project this time. Once it lands, they can both go to Trump to claim credit."

"This is a perfect example of political achievement, for whoever it may be." Jessica shrugged.

"Then let's go find him; this won't be difficult." Mu Xin chuckled.

...

Mu Xin didn't bring that many things this time; he only brought a map of the industrial reserve land that Jessica had printed out, with the third plot near his microgrid substation directly south of Oxford Town circled in red.

Governor DeWine took the map, glanced at it, and then looked at Mu Xin.

"This plot of yours is already industrial land, so I can sign it directly right now; I can give you the fast-track approval channel right now."

"However, I need to remind you of one thing. If I use the Governor's fast-track approval channel in the last week before leaving office to approve land for a Chinese investor's foreign car assembly plant, my opponents will package this matter with my previous approvals for the theme park and Hotel in the election, creating a narrative that I have been continuously funneling State Government resources to Chinese investors before leaving office."

"I don't care personally, but Acton cannot handle this kind of negative topic during the current campaign, so can this approval not be made public temporarily until Acton's primary election is over?"

"I can wait," Mu Xin nodded. "The approval not being public won't affect my preliminary progress. As long as the land has been approved for industrial use for me, I can start land preparation and factory design first. I will make the approval public after Acton successfully passes the primary election."

"My primary goal right now is not media buzz, but using the confirmed land to convince Detroit stamping suppliers to sign letters of intent, as well as taking the paperwork for this land to Shenzhen to conduct the first round of formal business negotiations with BYD."

Governor DeWine placed the map on the desk, picked up the old fountain pen with most of its paint worn off, took a blank document from the drawer, and then began to write:

"..."

"..."

"Approve this plot for new energy vehicle assembly and parts warehousing — JW. DeWine."

Then he capped the pen and pushed the map back to Mu Xin. "Take it. This is one of the last few major project approvals I've signed during my term as Governor."

"I hope it makes me look more like a visionary politician in my memoirs than that M101 howitzer."

Mu Xin took the map and looked at Governor DeWine, this old Governor. He realized that Governor DeWine was truly old. Perhaps because he was about to leave office, his energy was gradually fading.

"I still have a while before I officially leave office. Get the hell out of here, don't bother me here." Governor DeWine chuckled; he could see what Mu Xin was thinking.

"When my factory goes into production, I will invite you, and by the way, I'll give you a car so you can go out for a drive when you're retired." Mu Xin shrugged and then walked out of the office.