Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed a lawsuit to block a proposed aluminium smelter by Emirates Global Aluminium and Century Aluminum.
The suit cites concerns over the project's ties to the United Arab Emirates and potential environmental impacts.
The petition, filed in Rogers County District Court, argues the smelter will be a public nuisance and create intense air and water pollution for northeast Oklahoma.
Drummond is seeking a permanent injunction to halt construction of the smelter and prevent potential pollution and nuisance.
He said agricultural production, like cattle operations, will be put at risk and the site of the smelter is mere miles from homes, farms, and schools in Inola.
The petition reads: “The harm Defendants threaten is the kind that cannot be undone with money once it arrives.
“Air once fouled cannot be recalled; groundwater once contaminated cannot be wrung clean; pasture once laden with fluoride cannot be made safe for the herds that graze it; a cattle operation once destroyed, and the livestock industry it feeds, cannot be conjured back; and a child’s lungs once injured cannot be made whole by a damages award.
“The injury is imminent, it is grave, and it is irreparable.”
The joint venture aims to produce 750,000 tonnes of aluminium annually, with ownership split 60% and 40% respectively.
The legal challenge comes as Drummond runs for governor; Donald Trump supports the project and recently endorsed Drummond’s primary opponent.
A statement from Oklahoma Primary Aluminum said the smelter project will follow state and federal environmental regulations, guidelines, and reviews.
The statement reads: “The facility will use real-time emissions monitoring, enclosed material handling, and specific environmental safeguards – all designed to protect workers, neighbours, farms, and wildlife.
“Backed by decades of operating experience, EGA, the facility’s operator, is committed to responsible, transparent operations.”
A video of Drummond’s announcement can be viewed below.
