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The timeline

Twenty-three days from first notice to approved.

The public first learned of this on May 4, 2025, in a newspaper notice. The Town Council approved the project plan on May 27, 2025. In between, the legislature wrote and passed a bill of tax incentives built for this facility. That is the whole window our community was given.

  1. Late 2024A project with no nameBehind closed doorsThe Tulsa Port of Inola approaches the City of Inola about an unnamed project. Non-disclosure agreements keep the public out.
  2. Early 2025Negotiations with EGA beginBehind closed doorsTalks open with Emirates Global Aluminium, a UAE state-owned company. Details remain under NDA.
  3. Apr 18, 2025Committee recommends the project planFast-trackedThe City of Inola Review Committee recommends the Amended and Restated Port of Inola Project Plan. Largely conducted behind closed doors.
  4. May 4, 2025The public finds outDay zeroNotice published in the Claremore Daily Progress. The project plan becomes available for review after 5:00 PM the following day. A 30-day comment period begins — and is overtaken by events.
  5. May 15, 2025The White House announces itA federal fact sheet presents the EGA project as part of a national manufacturing initiative, emphasizing jobs and investment.
  6. May 19, 2025HB 2781 clears committeeFast-trackedThe Senate Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget approves the Reindustrialize Oklahoma Act, establishing tax incentives for the smelter.
  7. May 19, 2025First Inola public hearingThe Town Council holds its first informational hearing. The community begins learning what is actually proposed.
  8. May 20, 2025The House passes HB 2781Fast-trackedIncentives estimated in the hundreds of millions pass with minimal scrutiny. Rep. Gann publicly notes the unprecedented speed.
  9. May 21, 2025Rogers County approves TIFFast-trackedA special meeting of the Board of County Commissioners approves the sales tax increment financing agreement — the funding mechanism.
  10. May 27, 2025ApprovedDay 23A second hearing takes final public comment. The Inola Town Council votes to approve the project plan. Twenty-three days after the first public notice.
  11. Jan 26, 2026EGA announces a construction dateA press release commits to breaking ground at the end of 2026 — while the ~350-acre land sale had still not closed.
  12. Feb 9, 2026The air permit is filedAct nowEGA submits a 300+ page PSD air permit application to ODEQ. The public comment window on that application is where this can still be stopped.
Who is behind it

A foreign state-owned company, and our tax dollars.

The joint venture is branded "Oklahoma Primary Aluminum." The name is local. The controlling interest is not.

60%Ownership

Emirates Global Aluminium

  • A state-owned company of the United Arab Emirates.
  • Announced construction beginning end of 2026 — before the ~350-acre land sale had closed.
  • Filed a 300+ page PSD air permit application with ODEQ in February 2026.
40%Ownership

Century Aluminum

  • US-based operator of primary aluminum smelters.
  • Would run the energy-intensive Hall-Héroult electrolysis process here.
  • Has a public environmental and safety violation record you can read.
View the violation records ↗
Unanswered
  • The site sits on Muscogee (Creek) Nation land. Where was the consultation?
  • Why did HB 2781 — hundreds of millions in incentives — pass in days, with minimal debate?
  • Why were negotiations held under NDA for months before a word reached the public?

The process moved fast. It is not finished.

The air permit is still open for public comment, and the rate case still takes intervenors. Both are places an ordinary resident has standing.

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