Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s lawsuit against the proposed Inola aluminum smelter has focused largely on allegations involving foreign ownership.
But records from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality raise a separate concern with the project. During its review of the air permit application, DEQ found that the company’s own calculations show fluoride emissions above the limit it is asking the state to approve.
According to DEQ’s public permitting records, the agency placed the application into “Pending Facility Action” status on July 2, pausing the review clock while it waits for additional information from Oklahoma Primary Aluminum, the joint venture between Emirates Global Aluminium and Century Aluminum.
In a July 2 letter, DEQ Chief Engineer Lee Warden flagged multiple problems with the application, including what he described as “broad statements” in the company’s Best Available Control Technology analysis that were not sufficient to support its pollution control choices.
One of the more notable findings involves fluoride emissions. According to the company’s own modeling, its potroom operations would produce 1.514 pounds of total fluoride emissions per ton of aluminum. That is roughly 50 percent higher than the 1.02 pound limit the company is asking DEQ to approve.
DEQ also challenged the company’s treatment of hydrogen fluoride, which is included in total fluoride emissions. The company argued it should not be subject to the same regulatory review as other pollutants. DEQ noted projected emissions exceed 10 tons per year, which brings it under state air quality rules.
They also compared the proposed limits with existing aluminum facilities overseas, including European smelters that operate under lower fluoride thresholds. One of them is in Iceland, operated by Century Aluminum.
The permit process is still ongoing and records show the company continued submitting additional materials through the end of July, including a background source inventory filed July 31. That was less than two weeks before Drummond filed for a preliminary injunction on August 11.
DEQ has not denied the permit, and the company still has an opportunity to revise its application and address the agency’s concerns. The final fluoride review is due September 26.
On my Substack, I'm writing about Disney adults.
Apparently, they are hated because seeing people joyful triggers, "cultural discomfort and sometimes misogyny.”
This is what I keep trying to tell Oklahoma. Gentner Drummond isn’t fighting the smelter because he doesn’t want it here.
His fight is over the lack of data they’ve provided, and he’s right about that. They should be held to the highest standards possible. But he knows he can’t stop the smelter. He just needs everyone thinking he is to win votes.
Great video by Mike Mazzei. It’s sad to see the Drummond fan girls attack Mike over pervious health issues. They have nothing else to attack him on
He did his drug test and of course it came back negative. Will they admit they were wrong? No
But let’s talk a little deeper about this
I have seen some people complain about the way he talks or his mannerism and it reminds me a lot of how Elon Musk expresses himself and he is probably the smartest man alive
Also, Governor Greg Abbott is in a wheelchair and no one attacks him or said he was ineffective to lead as Governor because of that
For all of the people who apparently bought the lies hook, line and sinker consider this if anything were to happen him health-wise as Governor (It Won’t) then T.W. Shannon will become Governor. Isn’t that better than dealing with the dude who thinks you are a fascist for 8 long years?
Regardless Mike was the Budget Secretary under Kevin Stitt for a few years and he has been working 14 hours days since announcing he was running for Governor 18 months ago
That’s just my opinion but the fact they are going after his health means they have absolutely nothing to attack him on and they are desperate