Inola City Council Suspends $4B Aluminum Project for 60 Days Amid Environmental, Political Concerns

Published: Jul 2, 2026 09:33

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The Inola City Council in Oklahoma, US, voted and decided to suspend approval for 60 days for the largest aluminum project in the US, with a total investment of $4 billion and an annual capacity of 750,000 mt, in order to thoroughly assess the project's impact on the environment and local residents. The project is 60% owned by Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) of the UAE and 40% by Century Aluminum, and the relevant enterprises submitted an air permit application at the end of March. Although the project received support from federal and state governments and claimed it would create a large number of jobs, it still faced collective opposition from local residents, who were concerned that pollution from the project would harm their health. Meanwhile, the project also became a central issue in the party’s primary for governor, with sharply opposing stances: the state attorney general filed a lawsuit to halt the project, arguing that it was controlled by a foreign sovereign enterprise; while the attorney general’s opponent in the race received Trump’s endorsement and fully supported the project's implementation. The suspension of the approval has added significant uncertainty to this aluminum project, which involves foreign investment, public welfare, and election maneuvering.

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