AG asks federal court to halt construction of Oklahoma aluminum smelter

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s attorney general on Tuesday asked a federal court to block construction in Inola of what would be the largest aluminum smelter in the country. 

Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who in June sued to stop construction of the smelter over concerns of foreign ownership and severe pollution in northeastern Oklahoma, filed the new motion in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma to ask a judge to take immediate action while a lawsuit plays out. 

Following intense pushback from residents, the town of Inola issued a moratorium on the smelter project that expires Aug. 28. The proposed smelter is set to be built within miles of Inola schools, homes and farms. 

“The people of Rogers County stand to lose their health, their herds and their livelihoods,” Drummond, also a GOP gubernatorial candidate, said in a statement. “The public interest lies in enforcing Oklahoma’s nuisance and environmental laws, protecting the health of Inola families and preserving the livestock economy and natural resources of the region.”

He said he wants Oklahomans to be able to “fully vet the project” for its environmental impacts, foreign ownership and governance ties. 

Drummond also asked for his original suit to be sent back to Rogers County District Court. A motion from the smelter owners is pending to send the case to federal court. 

The 350 acre aluminum smelter project, a priority of President Donald Trump, has been dubbed Oklahoma Primary Aluminum and has the support of Gov. Kevin Stitt and leaders of the state House and Senate. It is expected to double aluminum production in the U.S. 

While 40% of the project is owned by Century Aluminum Company, which is based in Chicago, the majority is owned by the Dubai-based Emirates Global Aluminum.

Hundreds of millions of public dollars have been directed toward the project, including a $500 million federal grant, a $255 million incentive package from Oklahoma and the creation of a tax-increment-financing district by the City of Inola.

“This motion asks the Court to do one thing: keep the ground at Inola unbroken, as the Town of Inola’s moratorium keeps it today, until the lawfulness of Defendants’ smelter can be adjudicated on the merits,” Drummond’s motion reads. “… When (the moratorium) lapses, nothing will stand between Defendants and groundbreaking except a court order.”

Drummond’s motion on Tuesday also included expert testimony from Dr. Ranajit Sahu, an engineer and environmental consultant. Sahu said the pollution that would be generated by the smelter “pose a wide range of adverse risks of harm,” and ownership is underestimating the pollution that would be generated.