Illustration by Scott Gordon and Kristian Knutsen

Series: Foxconn In Wisconsin

Wisconsin's deal with electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn has stirred up a mix of excitement and doubt. The state offered the Taiwan-based company about $3 billion in economic incentives and a waiver on a variety of environmental and other regulations to build a large LCD fabrication complex. In return, Foxconn touted the possibility of creating thousands of jobs and invigorating Wisconsin as a Midwestern tech hub. This type of manufacturing would place considerable demands on the state's natural resources, especially water, and can create significant pollution. The net effect of this deal will take years to emerge, but boosters and skeptics alike agree that a Foxconn footprint would have profound and complex implications for Wisconsin's future.
 
Shared via
WPT
Missy Hughes is the new secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and discusses the future of projects of Foxconn and other agency priorities, including manufacturing and workforce development.
Shared via
PBS Wisconsin
According to a study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, the state's subsidies for Foxconn could depress economic activity in Wisconsin by tens of billions of dollars over the next 15 years. Economist Michael Farren discusses the study's findings.
Shared via
PBS Wisconsin
Correspondence between Foxconn and the state of Wisconsin show growing conflict over the company's contract and status of public tax subsidies. Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan discusses the current status of the state's position on the agreement.
Audio: 
Shared via
WPR
Foxconn officials say they have invested "hundreds of millions" of dollars in the development of the Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park in Racine County and have met Wisconsin's pay-for-performance criteria in 2019.
Someone is looking to buy a lot of land in Racine County and is willing to pay well over market value for it.
As Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn touts its plans to build an LCD factory in southeastern Wisconsin, one open question is what demand that operation will place on Lake Michigan.
The announcement that Wisconsin is ready to offer electronics manufacturer Foxconn $3 billion in incentives to build an LCD factory complex in the state is far from a done deal.
In its proposed incentives package to lure electronics manufacturer Foxconn, the Wisconsin legislature is not only offering unprecedented economic incentives, but also carves out significant exemptions to state-level environmental regulations for the company.
Local governments surrounding the proposed Foxconn factory will have plenty of complex processes of their own to deal with if the company moves ahead with its plans for southeastern Wisconsin.
Operating an LCD screen manufacturing plant in Wisconsin would raise a number of environmental question marks.