Oklahoma’s outgoing Republican governor, Kevin Stitt, accused Drummond of “weaponizing” the attorney general’s office to retaliate against Trump. In a video message on Facebook, he framed the smelter as key to protecting America’s national security interests, given that China accounts for about 60% of the world’s annual output. Aluminum is used to make not only household products and construction materials but also fighter jets, warships, helicopters, and ammunition.
Drummond, for his part, has denied any ulterior motives. He said he filed his lawsuit in response to the developers’ air-quality permit application, which they submitted on May 19, the news site Oklahoma Watch reported.
“A primary aluminum smelter does not belong in a community’s backyard, and its emissions do not respect property lines,” Drummond said in his initial statement, adding that winds could carry pollutants into the surrounding northeastern Oklahoma communities.
What the new smelter might mean for Oklahoma
Putting aside the messy governor’s race, the aluminum smelter will undoubtedly change the landscape in Inola, which hails itself as the world’s “hay capital” and is home to many thousands of heads of cattle. The industrial facility is set to span 350 acres along the Verdigris River, where every year it will convert raw materials into 750,000 metric tons of aluminum, not far from schools, homes, and farms.
