By Devyn Lyon, FOX23.com News Staff
INOLA, Okla. — Two property owners living near the site of the proposed $4 billion aluminum smelter in Inola said they’re not asking Oklahoma lawmakers to stop the project. Instead, they’re asking lawmakers to study it publicly.
The town of Inola is in the middle of a 60-day moratorium on new development surrounding the proposed facility.
Meanwhile, nearby landowners Steven Flathers and Bob Dailey are questioning why the Oklahoma House declined a request for a legislative interim study focused on the smelter.
Flathers raises cattle on roughly 100 acres near the proposed site.
He said he initially viewed the return of large-scale aluminum production to the United States positively, but began asking questions after reviewing information about the proposal and its potential emissions.
Flathers explained, “Whether this ends up becoming a good project or a bad project, it could be great and it could be totally safe, but I think that the community around Inola is owed that answer directly and correctly. I don’t see any harm coming from the research.”
Flathers said he views both aluminum and agriculture as important to national security.
His concern is whether the two industries can safely coexist in the same area.
“If the smelter is safe, there’s no tradeoff. If the smelter is not safe for local agriculture, there is a tradeoff.”
He said he would like to see a House interim study examine that question and allow lawmakers to hear directly from environmental regulators, agricultural producers, technical experts, the company and community members.
State Rep. Tom Gann, a Republican whose district includes Inola and portions of Rogers, Mayes and Wagoner counties, requested an interim study into the proposed smelter.
Gann said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert rejected the request because the subject had already been discussed.
FOX23 has reached out to Hilbert’s office for its response to Gann’s criticism.
Legislative interim studies do not pass laws or determine whether a project receives a permit. They provide public hearings where lawmakers can collect evidence, question experts and determine whether future legislation may be needed.
In a July 27 statement, Gann argued that new information and public concerns warranted further legislative review.
“Regardless of whether a legislator ultimately supports or opposes the project, the people of Oklahoma deserve a public examination of the facts before state policy officials follow through with a decision of this magnitude,” Gann stated.
Gann also pointed to concerns involving agriculture, public health, tribal interests, national security and the public money committed to attracting the development.
Bob Dailey owns about 13 acres next to Flathers’ property where his family is developing trails and an outdoor education and camping area.
Dailey believes lawmakers have access to more information now than they did when the legislature considered state incentives connected to the project in 2025.
“I don’t think anybody knew for sure until the air permit came out,” Dailey said. “Doing the study now gives an opportunity to say, ‘Here’s what we’ve learned in the last 18 months. Do we still feel the same way about the smelter?'”
The legislature previously debated and approved economic incentives intended to help secure the project.
Flathers and Daily, however, are calling for a separate public examination of its potential effects on the people, property and agricultural operations surrounding the proposed site.
Agriculture already represents a significant part of the regional economy.
According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture figures compiled for Rogers, Mayes and Wagoner counties, the three counties contain more than 4,000 farms, approximately 745,000 acres of farmland and nearly $360 million in sold agricultural products.
The figures don’t mean every agricultural producer represents a separate full-time job; however, they illustrate the scale of the existing farming economy and the businesses and families connected to it.
Currently, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is separately reviewing Oklahoma Primary Aluminum’s application for an air-quality construction permit.
DEQ has not yet approved the air permit.
In a July 2 letter, state regulators requested revisions, corrections and supplemental technical information from the company.
The requests involve pollution-control technology, emissions calculations, air-quality modeling and supporting technical and financial documentation.
The agency placed the application into a status called “Pending Facility Action” until it receives the requested material.
For now, DEQ’s permitting timeline is paused for the time it takes the applicant to respond.
DEQ said it is responsible for determining whether the application includes appropriate emissions controls and meets regulatory requirements before the agency makes a permit decision.
Residents can review DEQ’s information, permitting documents and planned public-participation opportunities through the agency’s official project pages below.
To view Oklahoma DEQ’s proposed Inola aluminum smelter project page, click here.
To view Oklahoma DEQ’s air-quality construction permit page, click here.
FOX23 is continuing to examine the hundreds of pages contained in the permitting record, including DEQ’s questions about emissions estimates, pollution-control technology and air-quality modeling.
Our next report will take a closer look at exactly what state environmental regulators are asking the company to explain and what must happen before DEQ can make a decision on the proposed air permit.You can read State Rep. Gann’s full statement discussing the rejection of his interim study request here.
