Key facts
- Oklahoma AG Gentner Drummond filed a lawsuit to block a new U.S. aluminum smelter.
- The lawsuit names Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) and Century Aluminum.
- Concerns cited include the project's ties to the United Arab Emirates and potential harm to Oklahoma's cattle industry and environment.
- The $4 billion project would produce 750,000 metric tons of aluminum annually.
- The smelter would be the first of its kind built in the U.S. since 1980.
- The project received a $500 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department.
Oklahoma's Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, has filed a lawsuit in state court seeking to block the construction of the largest U.S. aluminum smelter, a $4 billion project planned by Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) and Century Aluminum. Drummond cited concerns over the project's ties to the United Arab Emirates, referring to EGA's owner as an "Islamic foreign monarchy," and warned of potential harm to Oklahoma's cattle industry and the health and safety of residents due to air and water pollutants. The suit aims to prevent the smelter, which would produce 750,000 metric tons of aluminum annually and be the first built in the U.S. since 1980, from proceeding. The project has received a $500 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department and state incentives. The lawsuit's timing, just days after President Donald Trump endorsed Drummond's rival in the Republican gubernatorial primary, has drawn criticism from Governor Kevin Stitt, who accused Drummond of 'weaponizing his office.'