Inola leaders extend smelter moratorium, set town referendum date

Inola smelting ban will appear on spring referendum ballot, moratorium will remain in effect

Inola leaders extend smelter moratorium, set town referendum date

Inola Town Council unanimously extended a moratorium on aluminum smelting through April 7, 2027. Smelter developers say the move now "exposes Inola taxpayers to significant financial and legal risk."

Stitt Criticizes Inola’s Extension of Aluminum Smelter Moratorium

Governor Kevin Stitt is criticizing Inola officials for extending a moratorium that further delays plans for a proposed primary aluminum smelter. The Inola Town Council unanimously voted to extend its heavy industry moratorium through April 7, 2027. Council members also agreed to place a citizen-led initiative petition on the April 7 ballot that would establish a permanent town-wide ban on primary aluminum smelting. The proposed Oklahoma Primary Aluminum facility has faced opposition from some area residents and is also the subject of an ongoing lawsuit filed by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Stitt said the extended moratorium sends a troubling message to companies considering major investments in Oklahoma. He said efforts to bring industrial development to the area date back more than a decade and noted that Inola zoned the property for heavy industrial use in 2017. “Local voices should continue to speak into the process, but changing the rules in the middle of a multi-year permitting process undermines the certainty job creators need to invest billions of dollars and create thousands of jobs,” Stitt said. Stitt said Oklahoma needs to remain a state where existing zoning, negotiations and established legal processes provide certainty for businesses considering investments. The governor also questioned the implications of Inola’s decision, saying the reversal “sets a damaging precedent that should be carefully reviewed under our Constitution.” Drummond’s lawsuit seeking to stop development of the smelter is currently pending in Rogers County District Court after a federal judge returned the case to state court earlier this month.