Oklahoma – Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond says he is using every legal tool available to stop a controversial aluminum smelter project planned for Inola, accusing the companies behind the development of putting special interests ahead of the health and safety of local communities.
In an October 31 post on X, Drummond reiterated his opposition to the proposed facility, writing that he would continue fighting to protect Oklahoma communities from what he described as a harmful project.
“I’m using every tool at my disposal to uphold the law and protect our Oklahoma communities from this harmful aluminum smelter project in Inola. The law and the interests of the people there matter a lot more to me than the special interests and greed promoting this misguided proposal,” Drummond wrote.
The attorney general’s latest comments come as his office continues pursuing a lawsuit against Century Aluminum Company and Aluminum Oklahoma, the companies behind the proposed Oklahoma Primary Aluminum facility.
On October 22, Drummond asked a Rogers County judge to allow the state to begin collecting evidence from the companies before the court rules on their request to dismiss the lawsuit. His office specifically wants access to the data supporting the project’s projected emissions, along with information about its engineering, ownership, financing and the companies’ environmental compliance records at other facilities.
Drummond argues that the information is necessary to determine what the proposed facility could release into the air and surrounding environment before construction begins.
“These companies told a federal judge that our case rests on speculation, yet they are the only ones holding the data that would show what this smelter will release into the air and onto the land around Inola,” Drummond said in his October 22 announcement. “Oklahomans deserve those answers before the bulldozers arrive, not after.”
The proposed $4 billion facility would be built on approximately 633 acres near the Verdigris River and is expected to produce more than 750,000 metric tons of aluminum annually, making it the largest primary aluminum smelter planned in the United States.
Drummond filed his lawsuit in June, arguing that emissions from the facility could threaten nearby residents, livestock, agricultural operations and natural resources. His office has raised particular concerns about fluoride compounds, which can settle on vegetation and potentially harm cattle when contaminated forage is consumed.
An environmental expert retained by the attorney general’s office previously reviewed the project’s air permit application and warned that the facility could release substantial quantities of several pollutants. The estimates included approximately 87,182 tons of carbon monoxide, 316 tons of nitrogen oxides, 731 tons of particulate matter and 425 tons of fluoride compounds annually. The expert also questioned whether the company’s proposed pollution-control measures could achieve the emissions reductions claimed in its application.
The companies behind the project have disputed Drummond’s allegations and defended the proposed facility, describing it as an environmentally responsible development that would create jobs and strengthen domestic aluminum production. Oklahoma Primary Aluminum has also argued that the fluoride emissions listed in its application represent theoretical maximum levels rather than expected actual emissions.
The dispute has also involved the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Earlier in October, Drummond asked the agency to revise proposed air-quality rules, warning that a new emissions-offset provision could make it easier for the smelter to obtain a permit without adequately addressing its potential impact on local air quality.
The Journal Record reported that DEQ officials disputed the attorney general’s interpretation, saying the proposed rule changes would not apply to the smelter’s existing air permit application. The agency said it would review Drummond’s concerns.
The project has received significant public financial support, including a federal award of up to $500 million and approximately $255 million in state performance-based incentives. Its developers have argued that the facility would strengthen American manufacturing and reduce dependence on foreign aluminum supplies.
The Town of Inola has also taken action over the proposed development. A moratorium on heavy industrial construction remains in place through April 7, 2027, when residents are scheduled to vote on a proposed ban on aluminum smelting within the town. The attorney general’s October court filing noted that one of the companies behind the project had threatened legal action against the town over the moratorium.
Drummond’s latest statement signals that his office intends to continue challenging the project as the legal proceedings move forward, with the attorney general seeking access to the emissions information before construction advances.
Oklahoma AG Drummond makes major move against controversial Inola aluminum smelter, asks judge to release emissions data before construction begins
