The chairman of the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties (JDA), which is developing the Stanton Springs mixed-use development where electric vehicle maker Rivian is planning to establish a manufacturing facility, had little to say Tuesday about calls from a co-chair of a governmental cost-cutting commission established by President-elect Donald Trump to claw back a $6.6 billion conditional loan commitment to Rivian for construction of its Stanton Springs facility.

Initially saying he had "no comment" on entrepreneur and former 2024 Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy's interest in halting the Department of Energy's proposed loan to Rivian, JDA Chairman Jerry Silvio went on to note, "I try to stay away from politics."

A moment later, however, Silvio noted that he and the JDA are "way down the totem pole" regarding circumstances surrounding the conditional federal loan.

"That's way above our pay grade," Silvio said.

According to CNN, Ramaswamy said earlier this month, days after the conditional loan announcement, that the proposed arrangement with Rivian and its planned Stanton Springs facility, along with similar arrangements being made by the departing administration of President Joe Biden, are "high on the list of items" the commission, operating as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), will place in its crosshairs.

"Those types of last-minute actions that are taking place in the lame duck (the waning days of the Biden administration) merit particularly special scrutiny," Ramaswamy told CNN for a Dec. 5 report.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, a morning email to a media relations office at Rivian seeking comment on Ramaswamy's position had not been returned.

Interestingly, Ramaswamy is heading up the DOGE alongside Elon Musk, CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla.

Rivian announced along with news of the loan commitment – for which the company and the U.S. Department of Energy must meet a number of technical, legal, environmental and financial requirements before it is finalized -- that it would use the funds to build its planned Stanton Springs facility. Earlier this year, the company suspended work on that facility.

Currently, according to the company, plans call for the facility to be built in two phases, each of which will produce platforms underpinning midsize Rivian SUVs and crossover vehicles.

Initial production is set for 200,000 units, eventually rising to 400,000 units, according to a company news release. The first phase of the Stanton Springs project is currently expected to become operational in 2028, with the company planning to bring 7,500 operations jobs to the facility by 2030, according to its recent news release.

Last month's announcement of the $6.6 billion conditional loan arrangement was met enthusiastically, but somewhat reservedly, by the JDA. At its Nov. 27 meeting, the authority reacted to the announcement only through a news release that read, in part, that the "JDA is excited about this step forward and Rivian's commitment to Georgia."

Earlier this year, Rivian suspended work on its Stanton Springs facility, saying that it planned to make its then-upcoming line of R2 SUVs at an existing Illinois plant, but also noting its intent to build the Stanton Springs facility.

In other Rivian-related business Tuesday, the JDA learned that the company had recently held a 5-kilometer run event that raised $5,000 for Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge. The camp provides year-round camp experiences to children and families coping with serious illnesses, disabilities and other life challenges.

Also Tuesday, the JDA learned that discussions among fire departments in the four member counties and the city of Social Circle regarding the provision of firefighting services in Stanton Springs, possibly with state involvement, will continue with aJan. 10 meeting. That meeting will involve the chiefs of the departments involved, along with members of the JDA's fire committee, according to JDA member David Thompson, chairman of the Walton County Commission.

In other Tuesday business, the JDA approved a resolution honoring David Dyer, executive director of the Development Authority of Jasper County, who will be retiring at the end of the year.

The resolution noted that Dyer's "optimism and positive attitude are infectious, and proved to be a great strength in his economic development endeavors."

Also at Tuesday's meeting, the JDA learned that Morgan County will be installing a license-plate-reader camera on Stanton Springs Parkway North. The camera, a law-enforcement tool, will not cost anything to the JDA. Thompson praised the installation, saying the cameras are "very effective in Walton County."