[28:04] meeting to order. Uh Britney, will you call roll please?

[28:07] » Larry >> here.

[28:08] » Jason >> here.

[28:11] » Mark >> here.

[28:12] » Dan >> here.

[28:12] » Darlene >> here. Acknowledgement that the agenda

[28:16] was posted outside the door of I know town hall more than 24 hours prior to

[28:20] the meeting. Pledge allegiance, please.

[28:27] » I pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the for it

[28:33] stands one nation indivisible with

[28:39] all. Pastor Hill, would you please lead us in

[28:46] prayer?

[28:50] » Father, you have heard us pledge allegiance to the nation of which

[28:56] we are a part.

[29:00] But more than that, you have heard us say that we are under you.

[29:07] And in view of that, father, the decisions we make, whether we make

[29:12] them as an individual, as part of a family,

[29:19] as part of a community, as part of a nation.

[29:25] We beg and plead for your wisdom in guiding those decisions.

[29:34] Father, there are many hearts here tonight

[29:40] deeply concerned for the good of this community and of this nation.

[29:49] And there will be people who will be speaking and pouring out their hearts.

[29:55] Decisions will be made. And father,

[30:01] we understand that not all will get their way,

[30:08] but we are one nation under you,

[30:14] indivisible. May we also be one community

[30:21] under you, indivisible.

[30:26] We pray that the actions,

[30:30] the words, the intentions,

[30:35] and the outcome. We'll have your blessing.

[30:42] We thank you for those who have taken roles of leadership in this community

[30:47] and our nation. And we pray for their wisdom and their

[30:53] their capacity to see truth and work with truth.

[31:00] May your blessing be upon this assembly tonight

[31:05] in Jesus name. Amen. >> Amen. Thank you sir.

[31:22] I know. I know. Okay, everyone.

[31:27] Can I please ask you all to silence your phones? That'd be great. Please. And

[31:32] thank you.

[31:36] » Um, number one, approval of previous regular meetings minutes is printed. I

[31:43] make a motion to approve previous regular meeting minutes as printed.

[31:46] » Second.

[31:50] » Mark made the motion. Second by Dan. Larry.

[31:52] » Yes. >> Jason.

[31:54] » Substain. >> Mark.

[31:55] » Yes. >> Dan.

[31:56] » Yes. >> Darling.

[31:57] » Yes. Okay. Before we get started with public comments, I just want to remind

[32:02] you all of a few things. Okay. >> Excuse me.

[32:08] » You still can't hear me? >> Okay. Sorry.

[32:14] » Okay. Is that better? Can you hear me? >> No.

[32:24] » Okay. I want to remind you all the rules of conduct for public meetings. Uh,

[32:30] every citizen conversation comment shall be limited to

[32:35] three minutes discussion unless such time is extended by the mayor.

[32:41] All questions, comments should be directed to the mayor and to no citizen

[32:47] may address and or question any individual governing body member or

[32:53] staff member except with the permission of the mayor.

[32:58] No gestures or activities intended to disturb the order or decor of the

[33:04] governing body meeting shall be permitted.

[33:07] No citizen shall speak or comment so as to distract, disturb, or interrupt any

[33:15] other speaker, but shall only make comments after the mayor has recognized

[33:20] him or her after he or she has stated their name and address. Any citizen who

[33:28] shallfully disturb the lawful assembly of the

[33:32] governing body meeting shall be asked by the mayor to leave the meeting. And in

[33:37] the event that such citizen will not leave the public assembly and continues

[33:42] to disturb and disturb such assembly, such person may be subject to be removed

[33:51] from the chamber for disturbance of peace.

[33:55] and

[33:58] the trustees, town staff and members of the public shall not make not make

[34:05] allergent, slanderous, threatening, abusive, or disparing comments to or

[34:13] about others during this meeting. No shouting and no physical actions will be

[34:19] tolerated. Okay. Thank you.

[34:24] Okay, we're going to go to number three. Oh, we're going to go to public comments

[34:31] number two. And we're going to start

[34:39] with if you have a blue dot and you're number one.

[34:48] » Are you sure? >> Are you sure?

[34:52] » Okay. Thank you. Okay. Uh number two.

[34:58] Okay. Number three.

[35:06] This is Okay. Go ahead, please.

[35:13] Good evening. My name is Ryan Platkin. I'm an Oklahoma business owner and a

[35:18] father of four. My company will turn the metal that this plant plant plant makes

[35:23] into finished American products. [snorts] So this isn't just theory for

[35:27] me up here. It's my payroll, capital, my kids' future right here in Iola.

[35:33] Let me be really direct. For Iola, this is jobs the day construction starts and

[35:39] paychecks for a generation afterwards. A tax base that builds schools and roads

[35:44] in our state. Short term, it's the biggest thing to happen to this town in

[35:50] our lifetimes. Long term, it's why our kids and grandkids won't have to leave

[35:55] Iola to find good work. And understand who chose you. [clears throat] EGA could

[36:01] have built anywhere in the world. They chose Iola for the people here. And

[36:05] because Oklahoma is an honest, easy place to do business, let's stick to our

[36:10] word. They've already opened an office right here in town. And from day one,

[36:16] they brought in local partners, Century Aluminum, and me as an Oklahoma, US

[36:21] Aluminum. I signed anou with EGA to build the downstream, the factories that

[36:27] will take the raw aluminum and turn it into finished products and lasting jobs.

[36:32] The smelter is just the anchor. The downstream is the exponential growth

[36:36] that we'll have right here in Oklahoma. It's not just one plant. It's the start

[36:40] of an entire industry right here. This is one of the things that troubles

[36:45] me. EJ opened that office so anyone with a question could walk in and get an

[36:50] answer face to face. Almost nobody has. The experts are here. The answers are

[36:55] here. They're already paid for. They're waiting. If you have concerns, good. Go

[37:00] use them. That's what they're here for. But before you vote to slow down the

[37:04] best thing that comes that that has come to this town in a generation,

[37:09] anyone who's worried about the environment, do the homework. Look at

[37:13] modern smelters all around the world. Iceland, Norway, Canada. They sit in

[37:18] some of the most beautiful, most protected countries on Earth under the

[37:22] most strict environmental rules in the world. This industry can run clean in

[37:26] the toughest places on the planet. It will run clear clean here in Oklahoma.

[37:30] We Oklahomaans should hold them to it through our regulatory process. So

[37:35] here's what what's at stake. A moratorium doesn't just delay the plant.

[37:39] It tells every American that we don't value our country's independence. That

[37:43] we won't carry our weight to make materials that our defense depends on.

[37:47] And it tells every employer watching that Oklahoma blinks. We already lose

[37:52] too many of our young people, too many jobs to Texas. This council could set

[37:57] our state and our country back decades with a single vote. That's bad for me,

[38:02] but it's far worse for my children and my grandchildren. We don't need to slow

[38:06] this down. We need to step up and lead. Thank you.

[38:09] » Thank you. Okay, we're going to go to number four.

[38:15] If you have a blue sticker has number four on it, you're next, please.

[38:25] Good evening. My name is Kip Collins. I'm president at MD Building Products, a

[38:31] family-owned Oklahoma manufacturer that's been making things in America for

[38:35] over a hundred years. Let me tell you what we make because it's probably in

[38:40] your house right now. The weather stripping around your front door, the

[38:44] threshold you step over, the metal trim between your carpet and your tile.

[38:49] That's us. MD products are in tens of millions of Americans homes and aluminum

[38:55] is the lifeblood of nearly everything that we make. We employ about 1100

[39:00] people, more than 600 right here in Oklahoma. Good jobs with families behind

[39:06] them. And for more than 30 years, while our competitors cha chase cheaper

[39:10] prices, easier operations, and less complexity overseas, MD kept investing

[39:17] in American manufacturing. We chose to make it here.

[39:22] So, I have a front row seat to something painful. I have watched this industry

[39:26] lead the United States year after year, plant after plant. Today, the aluminum

[39:32] we depend on comes from all over the world and almost none of it from

[39:37] America. You would think cheaper was better. It

[39:41] wasn't. What we got instead was fragile, fragmented supply chains. prices we

[39:47] can't predict and we can't control. And when supply chain breaks, I'm the one

[39:52] that has to call the customer and say we can't deliver. That's not a

[39:55] hypothetical. That's a Tuesday. Here's what this country learned the

[40:00] hard way. When you send your manufacturing overseas, you don't just

[40:04] send the jobs. You send the independence and you send the profits. You lose

[40:09] control of the materials. This project changes that. Oklahoma

[40:14] primary aluminum would put primary aluminum production back on American

[40:18] soil in our state. Every bill it casts would

[40:23] carry a mark made in the US by Oklahoma Primary Aluminum.

[40:29] For a company like ours, that is not a slogan. That's supply that we can count

[40:33] on, jobs that we can protect, and a customer we can finally say yes to. MD

[40:39] has been reshoring American manufacturing for three decades.

[40:43] Oklahoma has led the way in bringing industry home, but we can't finish this

[40:48] job downstream if we don't make the metal upstream.

[40:52] So, I'm asking this board, please don't slow this down. Let Oklahoma take the

[40:57] next step. Let's bring the making of this critical material home and protect

[41:01] the industry and the jobs we already have. Thank you.

[41:04] » Thank you.

[41:08] Okay. If you have a blue dot, it has a five on it. No, I'm sorry. Yeah. Number

[41:14] five.

[41:22] » Good evening. My name is U. Brigier General Andrew Ballinger. I am here at

[41:27] the request of the agent general of Oklahoma and by

[41:32] extension the Oklahoma military department to talk about the national

[41:37] defense implications of having a domestic aluminum production facility

[41:42] here in the United States. Okay. Um, so by the way, I have studied this

[41:47] quite a bit at the National War College and I have seen some of the implications

[41:54] uh recently when I was in East Africa. As you can imagine, it's very difficult

[41:57] to get certain high-end pieces of equipment, not necessarily war fighting

[42:02] equipment, but other administrative and logistical things that we have to have

[42:07] uh in Africa because nothing is made locally. Everything is imported from uh

[42:13] overseas. So, I have some experience with what

[42:17] we're talking about here, and I just want to relay the thoughts and concerns

[42:21] of the military department in Oklahoma and myself as their representative. Um,

[42:26] as the gentleman before me just mentioned, about 80% of our aluminum uh

[42:31] is imported that we use here domestically in the United States. Uh,

[42:36] the number one and number three producers, as I understand it, are China

[42:40] and Russia. Uh there are implications in the event of what we call contested

[42:46] logistics that should trouble arise either with

[42:52] one of those two countries or elsewhere and they have the ability to impact our

[42:56] ability to resupply our defense industrial base which is what we're

[43:00] talking about here. Uh we can expect that they will do so. So, not only do we

[43:05] have to worry about protecting our troops and other things moving into a

[43:10] different theory of operations worldwide, but we have to worry about

[43:13] protecting the resupply of the raw materials that we must have that come

[43:17] into this country. It kind of stands to reason therefore that a domestic

[43:23] production capability is safer to or is easier to safeguard here at home if it's

[43:29] uh based here at home. and also because of the predictability and the price

[43:33] stability of that raw material. Uh as just an aside, since about the year

[43:40] 2000, there's been a rapid increase in the amount of things that are

[43:45] manufactured overseas and then imported into the United States. And so as a

[43:50] result of that, we've kind of gotten sideways with our domestic defense

[43:55] industrial base. And this is a very positive move in the in the eyes of most

[44:00] defense experts uh to

[44:04] increase that capability in the continental United States uh for those

[44:10] reasons. And let me just add that when you have a manufacturing capability no

[44:15] matter if it is defense related or sort of not

[44:20] there is a sort of osmosis that occurs in the production.

[44:25] We have to have that experience as well. So that aids in that. I appreciate the

[44:29] council very much. Have a good night. >> Thank you.

[44:34] » Okay. Number six.

[44:49] Good evening. My name is Janet Spurlock and I yield my time to Beth Eaton.

[44:55] Tonight you're going to hear presentations from multiple

[44:58] organizations that will tell you about the environmental permits, national

[45:02] security implications, jobs, economic transformation, and the legal risk to

[45:08] this town. But let me refresh your memory on what we've uncovered in the

[45:12] last year. Claim one, we will operate within permit limits. ODEQ will protect

[45:18] you. ODEQ is going to tell you the permitting process is thorough, air

[45:24] monitoring will be in place and that there will be safe limits. However, the

[45:29] technology they claim to be using is state-of-the-art. Yet, it cannot be

[45:34] validated as it's only based on modeling and projections. It will be submitted in

[45:39] good faith by EGA, not tested by EPA or ODQ.

[45:45] In 2006, the EPA commissioned a study of cumulative fluoride exposure. The

[45:52] conclusion to total fluoride exposure was already at or exceeding safe

[45:58] thresholds. Yet at the ODEQ process meeting in April, the chief engineer

[46:04] told us that ODQ will not look at the cumulative impacts of multiple

[46:09] industries. Instead, each one is looked at on their own and they won't look at

[46:15] centuries other facilities history of significant non-compliance.

[46:21] Claim two, this is a critical industry, a matter of na national security. Let me

[46:27] remind you of just a few weeks ago when the government governor's office told us

[46:31] and I suspect the letter from the White House will likely state it again that

[46:36] aluminum is critical to our military that the US imports 85% of its aluminum

[46:42] and that this plant doubles American capacity and brings a thousand jobs.

[46:47] This is what you won't hear. Century Aluminum already had a plant described

[46:52] as producing some of the purest, highest quality defensegrade aluminum here in

[46:57] the US. But Century shut it down and put roughly 650

[47:02] people out of work in Hosville, Kentucky. So when they tell you this is

[47:06] a critical industry, ask him why the plant wasn't already making that

[47:11] critical aluminum and it couldn't survive. The answer is always the same

[47:16] across their company. They need cheap power. There is still no signed power

[47:21] agreement for this project. Do they intend to sue the state of Oklahoma or

[47:26] the OC if they don't pass an affordable long large load tariff rate for their

[47:32] required power generation. The aluminum association imports approximately 70% of

[47:38] its aluminum from Canada, not from China. from Canada where aluminum

[47:43] production is cleaner and dramatically cheaper because it runs on hydro power.

[47:48] And the aluminum association, the industry's own trade group, has asked

[47:52] for a ban on exports as it is estimated that 2 to three million

[47:58] » metric tons are exported annually. >> Thank you.

[48:01] » Thank you. [applause]

[48:05] [cheering]

[48:11] » [applause]

[48:15] » Number seven, please. >> My name is Roger Eaton. I'm an I know

[48:19] resident for over 20 years. I yield my time to Beth Richards.

[48:32] She's next. >> Hang on.

[48:42] » Okay, Beth, you have three minutes. >> Got it.

[48:49] The toll supports claims that they've invested $18 million in a rail spur and

[48:53] over $70 million in a wastewater treatment facility. They frame that as

[48:57] commitment to Iola, but commitment to what exactly and with whose money? The

[49:02] railspur does not only exist for the smelter. The wastewater facility does

[49:06] not only exist for the smelter. These connections serve any tenant in their

[49:11] park. Now, if they claim that this moratorum puts the port development on

[49:15] hold indefinitely, they would see if they read it, it was clearly stated that

[49:18] it does not. And if the industrial park is as valuable as Tulsa Port's claims,

[49:22] why does their entire argument depend on this one tenant? I mean, considering

[49:27] that they bought that land for a dollar an acre and then promoted it as such a

[49:31] generous gift from PSO, who sat on it for over 37 years with no meaningful

[49:35] revenue, while meanwhile PSO secured a 99-year

[49:40] service agreement in return and is now asking for rate increases to us. Yes,

[49:45] how generous of them. Let's look at OPA's letter that says that they want to

[49:49] work with this community in a transparent, responsive, and

[49:52] constructive manner. There's that patronizing tone that I recognize, but

[49:55] yet they disabled their comments on their Facebook page and held private

[49:58] meetings with select residents days before this meeting. Let me remind you

[50:02] of a conversation that I had with Century Aluminum's attorney when he told

[50:06] me to my face that the injury claims from communities near Mount Holly had no

[50:10] basis and then proceeded to encourage me to apply for a job. Their attorney

[50:14] representing a company trying to build next to our homes, schools, has homes

[50:18] and schools has dismissed real community health and safety concerns like they

[50:22] were nothing. Shame on them for threatening a small Oklahoma town with

[50:26] hundreds of millions of dollars in litigation. That is not talking to us

[50:29] like neighbors. As Matt Abad told Fox 23 at that same meeting in March, or when

[50:34] he told the Tulsa world in April that we know how to navigate these local

[50:38] politics, federal landscape, and workforce. Then

[50:42] their letter invokes the US and Oklahoma Constitution claiming that this

[50:46] moratorum is an unconstitutional taking of property rights. Property rights are

[50:51] not an unlimited unlimited free-for-all. The right to your use your property has

[50:55] never meant the right to harm your neighbor. The same company that benefits

[50:59] from our hundreds of millions in federal, state, and local funding is

[51:02] claiming that the government has no authority to regulate what they build.

[51:06] Lastly about OPA, it is in fact a shell company for a foreign government who

[51:11] slapped an Oklahoma name on it and wants to use our constitution to stop an

[51:15] American town from governing itself. And as EGA has touted to our local trustee

[51:20] about how Century doesn't really have any control and isn't really running

[51:23] running this show, wants to use it against us while simultaneously not

[51:27] following the same practices in their own country. I would be jailed, fined,

[51:31] or worse for what I'm saying to you today. The only thing transparent about

[51:35] their letter is their fear that six months of review may uncover something

[51:39] that they do not want this town to see. And we've clearly put the pressure

[51:43] pressure in the right spot. I've got six seconds left, but I'm the next person.

[51:46] Can I keep reading? I'm almost done. They say they

[51:51] » I'm almost done. I won't take three minutes. They say they want Oh, what?

[51:55] » We're trying to limit everyone to three minutes, please.

[51:58] » I took his. This one's mine. >> That you just got a little bit left.

[52:03] » Yeah. like this is it and it's fast. It's big print.

[52:06] » Okay,

[52:09] » I'll cut it short. >> Okay.

[52:11] » They say they want to open and transparent dialogue while while having

[52:15] private lobbying meetings and disabling public comments. They want a they want

[52:19] to have domestic aluminum. They say they whatever they say

[52:24] rateayers are protected, but PSO has already approved over a billion dollars

[52:27] in new power generation through SEWHIP funds. We do not misunderstand. These

[52:31] are all contradictions and we do not live in a paradox. They want us to trust

[52:35] the process as if they do not see that we do not see that we are the study.

[52:39] What they are describing feels like we're being pushed out of a plane,

[52:42] strapped to a parachute we never agreed to wear and told not to question whether

[52:45] it opens or not to be grateful to be here for the opportunity to be here. We

[52:49] have right to question all of it. Please pass this moratorum. They've already

[52:53] spent tens of millions of dollars. They can afford to wait a few more months.

[52:58] And I stand by what I said. We support you guys when you make the right

[53:02] decisions. We are here for you. So, do not be afraid of this. Thank you.

[53:07] » Thanks again. [cheering] [applause]

[53:19] [applause]

[53:25] Okay. So, number nine, please.

[53:30] Oh, is that you? >> Oh, okay. [laughter]

[53:36] Okay. >> Please remember we're trying to limit

[53:39] this to three minutes. Okay. Uh, number 10

[53:55] OCO. My name is Lacy Rayu. I am a Clammore

[53:59] resident and I have taken the time out of my afternoon to speak tonight at the

[54:02] Anola town hall meeting. Like many people here, I am in opposition of the

[54:07] aluminum smelter. Looking at the studies, facts, and statistics, I cannot

[54:12] imagine why anybody would want to bring something like this to the small rural

[54:15] town of Anola, Oklahoma. Sadly, if this project moves forward, Anolians and many

[54:21] neighboring Oklahomaman will unconsensually suffer the effects of

[54:25] tons of pollutants as well as a higher electric bill. Sounds promising. The

[54:30] pollution radius is said to be up to 15 miles and that is not including the

[54:34] Oklahoma wind. Documented documented studies from

[54:39] comparable facilities show that literal tons of pollutants will be emitted into

[54:44] our air, water, and land. The 1979 Cornwall Island study shows that a herd

[54:50] of cattle exposed to 300 tons of fluoride per year dropped dead within a

[54:55] 5 mile radius. The Iola smelter will emit 425 tons per year and will be less

[55:01] than three miles from the school homes and farms. For those who stand in the

[55:06] support of the smelter, would you want to live next to that? What do you want

[55:11] your family or farm living ex living less than three miles from 425 yearly

[55:16] tons of fluoride? Well, you sure do want other people's

[55:20] families and farms to be subjected to that. The blatant disregard of the

[55:26] health for Oklahoma's wildlife and the environment as a whole disgust me. Shame

[55:33] on those who support this smelter. How heartbreaking for those who have lived

[55:37] in Iola for years, built their lives, raised generations, and own family

[55:40] farms. The Bible commands us to care for each other, the animals, and the land

[55:45] that God gifted us. One day, you'll stand before him and answer for

[55:49] supporting this. Please, we urge you to vote yes to this proposed moratorum.

[55:54] Please stand with us, not against us. Thank you for your time.

[55:59] » Thank you, [applause]

[56:02] [cheering] Adam.

[56:07] » [applause] >> Number 11, please. Number 11,

[56:17] esteemed mayor Shear and trustees of the town council. Good evening. My name is

[56:21] Adam Burstein. I'm honored to be here this evening with the good people of the

[56:25] town of Inola and the state of Oklahoma. Thank you.

[56:28] I am the technical director for strategic and critical materials in the

[56:31] office of the secretary of war. I am here before you this evening

[56:35] representing the assistant secretary for industrialbased policy. We are

[56:39] responsible for ensuring that our sons and daughters, sisters and brothers and

[56:43] fathers and mothers in uniform have the equipment and materials they need to

[56:47] fight our nation's wars and return home to us safely.

[56:51] My primary responsibility is to figure out how to secure the raw materials, the

[56:55] minerals and metals necessary to make this happen. I'm here to highlight the

[57:00] critical role of aluminum and the Oklahoma primary aluminum project to our

[57:03] mutual national security and the defense industrial base. A matter that connects

[57:07] the local economy of Oklahoma directly to the safety and security of our

[57:11] nation. Often when we think of national defense, we picture the final products.

[57:16] We envision fighter jets soaring overhead, naval vessels patrolling the

[57:19] seas, and armored vehicles protecting our service members. Yet, none of these

[57:23] capabilities can exist without the foundational materials that build them.

[57:27] Aluminum is the backbone of our modern military.

[57:30] However, the defense industrial base is only as strong as its local supply

[57:34] chains. We cannot continue to rely on foreign competitors or adversaries for

[57:38] the materials that secure our freedoms. domestic production, refining and

[57:42] manufacturing of aluminum are absolute imperatives for national security.

[57:47] Unfortunately, today we find ourselves in a precarious position, reliant on

[57:51] foreign and adversarial sources for materials such as aluminum. Since 1980,

[57:56] the United States has lost 80% of its domestic primary aluminum smelting

[58:00] capability, and we now produce only a small fraction of what we need. It has

[58:05] been 46 years since the last primary aluminum smelter was built in the United

[58:09] States. The Oklahoma primary aluminum project represents a critical

[58:12] opportunity to rebuild our primary aluminum production capability.

[58:17] Over the past few years, we have started to experience the risks of our raw

[58:20] material reliance as certain nations have taken action against us. As a

[58:24] nation, we cannot afford to be so dependent on others and vulnerable to

[58:28] such manip manipulation. When we support industrial development

[58:32] and infrastructure in our own communities, we are not just creating

[58:35] jobs or boosting local tax revenue. We are actively fortifying the United

[58:39] States ability to equip and defend itself. Every ton of aluminum produced

[58:43] or processed domestically is a step toward true true strategic independence.

[58:48] This town and this state have a unique opportunity to be a crucial link for our

[58:53] national security. By continuing to foster a supportive environment for

[58:56] manufacturing and heavy industry and recognizing the criticality of a project

[59:00] such as the one we're discussing this evening, you ensure that our fighting

[59:04] forces have the reliable domestic supply of aluminum they require to fight, to

[59:08] win, and to come home. A resilient supply chain starts right here. The

[59:13] Oklahoma Primary Aluminum Project is vital to our national defense.

[59:17] » Thank you for your time. >> Thank you.

[59:21] Number

[59:26] 12, please.

[59:33] » Hello, Mayor Shear, Vice Mayor, and trustees and the

[59:38] wonderful people of Iola. My name is Audrey Robertson. I work for all of you.

[59:43] I am the assistant secretary of energy at the Department of Energy and I

[59:47] oversee our office of critical minerals and energy innovation. My mandate is to

[59:53] secure America's energy and manufacturing independence. But I am a

[59:57] newcomer to Washington and was thrilled to come to a wonderful town in the

[1:00:02] middle of the country and leave DC this morning because before answering

[1:00:06] President Trump's call to serve my I spent my career building energy

[1:00:10] infrastructure in rural communities across the West. I know that abstract

[1:00:15] national goals don't mean a thing to communities that will live alongside

[1:00:20] this infrastructure for the rest of their lives unless they're assured of

[1:00:25] the material benefits unless those are communicated. And I know and can hear

[1:00:29] that there is skepticism in this room. There are worries about what this

[1:00:34] project means for your air, your children, your soil, for your beautiful

[1:00:39] river, for the farms and schools I drove by coming here today.

[1:00:43] These are not just fair questions. They are the exact questions you should be

[1:00:47] asking. And if I lived here, I would be standing right where you are and

[1:00:51] demanding answers. And I'm here today to address your concerns directly.

[1:00:57] But we've heard from several today about where we stand as a country today. The

[1:01:02] United States is in a terrible position in that we have outsourced the things we

[1:01:08] need to survive, the things we need to grow, and the things we need to thrive

[1:01:12] in America. Over the last 30 years, it's been a constant departure.

[1:01:20] Aluminum, as has been noted, is unique. It has the the the strength of steel

[1:01:26] with a third of the weight. It is indispensable to the building of our

[1:01:31] electricity grids, our defense systems, aircrafts, laptops, phones, kitchen

[1:01:37] appliances, electrical wiring. And for decades,

[1:01:42] we have had to rely on others. This aluminum smelter will represent

[1:01:48] billions of dollars going into the community. It will represent thousands

[1:01:53] of jobs. Four to 4,000 job estimate for construction

[1:01:59] » and a thousand permanent. >> Just a minute. Can we be respectful of

[1:02:03] the person that's up here talking and for each and every one of you when it's

[1:02:08] your turn to get up here? Please, >> please go ahead.

[1:02:12] » Thank you, mayor. The high-paying career opportunities

[1:02:18] that will be provided to all of Rogers County represent exactly what this is,

[1:02:23] the largest economic development project in the history of Oklahoma. But I know

[1:02:29] what's on your mind. I can hear people in the background. And I would like to

[1:02:33] reclaim some of my time if that's okay, mayor, since I was interrupted.

[1:02:39] » Excuse me. Excuse me, please. I did interrupt her.

[1:02:44] I'm going to give her an extra minute. And please be respectful.

[1:02:49] Please be respectful. >> So, I can hear from the people behind

[1:02:54] me, you don't believe that the cost of having an industrial facility is worth

[1:02:58] the benefit. Let me tell you that this project received $500 million from my

[1:03:04] office. We are the Department of Energy that provided that funding. And the

[1:03:09] office it came from is called the office of clean energy demonstrations.

[1:03:15] It is contingent, our funding is contingent on this project meeting the

[1:03:20] most rigorous environmental standards. The reason you are looking at programs

[1:03:25] and smelters all around the world and from 50 years ago is because this

[1:03:29] smelter technology hasn't been built in the United States. This is the newest

[1:03:35] technology. This is closed loop technology that emissions will not leave

[1:03:40] the plant. They are captured. Water goes through a water.

[1:03:46] All right. It's I guess it's not as friendly here as where I came from,

[1:03:53] » but I understand you have concerns >> and specifically

[1:03:58] specifically, mayor, I want you to know that we care about this community.

[1:04:02] » Thank you. and we believe this project will bring great things to this

[1:04:07] community and this nation. >> Thank you for your time.

[1:04:18] » Okay, we're down to number 13, please.

[1:04:31] Well, heck, after that I'm a little bit scared up here. So,

[1:04:38] » hello. My name is Aaron Pley. I am the chief economic development officer for

[1:04:42] the city of Tulsa. For transparency, I'd like to say that in the first Trump

[1:04:46] administration, I was the foreign direct investment adviser for the US Department

[1:04:50] of Commerce, focused on foreign direct investment, attracting foreign companies

[1:04:54] to the US. So, with that, I'll say this. Most things I was going to say today

[1:05:00] have already been said. You've heard the numbers. You heard the importance of

[1:05:04] national security. So, I'm going to start from a little different

[1:05:07] perspective here. And I beg your patience and your kindness as I speak,

[1:05:12] please. I have a intern who's [clears throat]

[1:05:16] actually, oddly enough, married to a young man from Anola called Dustin

[1:05:21] Wilkins. And she saw my talking points and said to me, "You know what, Erin?

[1:05:26] Don't read those talking points. I want you to go to Anola, look around,

[1:05:31] actually feel, experience the place." And after I had a vanilla chocolate

[1:05:38] twist at Speedy's, I walked around the city and I realized also I should say

[1:05:43] I'm from Kentucky, a little town called Centerville. You have one stoplight. We

[1:05:47] have one stop sign in Centerville, Kentucky. I've been in Tulsa for two and

[1:05:51] a half years. I'm not going to appeal to you through the numbers. I'm just going

[1:05:55] to say what I feel honestly about this plant and what it means to this country

[1:06:02] and to what I think the seat of Anola but it's your city so you have the last

[1:06:06] word to say this will be an important project for

[1:06:11] the US government it's a primary focus and goal of our president of our country

[1:06:17] to bring aluminum production back to the United States as was mentioned before

[1:06:25] 80% of the steel in this world comes from China and that's a danger to our

[1:06:31] national national security. It's also important to note someone

[1:06:35] asked me when I came up here earlier when I was talking in the back they said

[1:06:38] would you allow your children to live next to this plant? Would you want this

[1:06:43] in your backyard? So the truth is in my backyard no in my city maybe. I say that

[1:06:50] because there's another thing I talk about. We talk about the values of a

[1:06:54] rural town. As one man man mentioned earlier, many of our children have to

[1:06:59] leave our communities because they can't find opportunities in their own

[1:07:03] hometown. For me, as a father of three boys and now a grandfather as well, I

[1:07:08] know the importance of trying to build places, opportunities in my city so my

[1:07:13] children don't have to leave my city to live, work, and grow. I want them to

[1:07:18] explore the world, but I want them to have the opportunity to truly live and

[1:07:22] work where they grew up. That's important to me. I know it's important

[1:07:27] to many of you as well. And so I support this project for two levels. The

[1:07:32] numbers, yes, are big and incredible. Lots of jobs, construction jobs, 4,000,

[1:07:37] 9,000 secondary jobs, 10,000 direct jobs. And that's all good and fine. But

[1:07:42] what it means in terms of the community is much more than that. Thank you,

[1:07:45] ma'am, for your time. >> Thank you.

[1:07:49] » [applause]

[1:07:57] » She is number He is number 13.

[1:08:05] » Ma'am, are you number 13? >> I'm number green 13.

[1:08:08] » Oh, I'm Well, I'm blue 13. >> Oh, blue 13. I'm sorry. Blue 13.

[1:08:11] » Yes. Please, you have three minutes. >> Good evening. My name is Dr. Christa

[1:08:16] Ratliff and I serve as president CEO of the FISTA the fires innovation science

[1:08:20] technology accelerator located in lotton fort sil. I also lead economic

[1:08:24] development for the entire southwest region of Oklahoma. At fista our mission

[1:08:29] is to accelerate the development and production of next generation defense

[1:08:32] technology. We bring together defense contractors, researchers, military

[1:08:37] leaders and innovators all in one campus.

[1:08:41] We work every single day to ensure that technologies developed here in Oklahoma

[1:08:44] can be built, tested, and deployed in support of our war fighters. Our

[1:08:49] partners include some of the most consequential names in American defense

[1:08:52] all the way up to Fortune 100 companies to include names like Rathon, Lidos,

[1:08:57] Northrup, Grumman, Andre, and dozens and dozens of others working on technology

[1:09:02] right here in our home state to keep our nation safe. I'm here tonight in strong

[1:09:07] support of the aluminum smelter proposed in Iola because of what happens in

[1:09:11] Rogers County directly affects what we can accomplish in southwest Oklahoma and

[1:09:16] across the entire state of Oklahoma. Here is the reality of modern defense

[1:09:20] technology. Aluminum is not an optional material. It is a foundational material.

[1:09:27] Drones, precision munitions, satellite components, radar systems, ground

[1:09:32] vehicles are all the technologies that our partners are developing and

[1:09:36] producing in Oklahoma and in FISTA require aluminum in substantial,

[1:09:41] consistent and reliable quantities. When the when the supply is uncertain, when

[1:09:46] it is dependent on foreign sources that that are subject to tariffs, trade

[1:09:50] disruption or geopolitical instability, the entire innovation pipeline is at

[1:09:56] risk, which directly impacts the risk to our national security.

[1:10:01] We can design the most advanced systems in the world right here in our home

[1:10:04] state of Oklahoma. But if we cannot reliably source the materials needed to

[1:10:09] manufacture them at scale, we have built an extraordinary engine with no fuel at

[1:10:14] all. Think of it this way. It would make a little make little sense for Oklahoma

[1:10:19] to invest in a worldclass bread manufacturing facility if we had no

[1:10:23] wheat that is grown in our state. The ingredients and the innovation must

[1:10:28] exist together. That principle applies just as directly to defense in

[1:10:33] technology and aluminum. [clears throat and snorts]

[1:10:36] The Anola smelter is not just an economic development project. It is a

[1:10:40] national security investment. It is the kind of domestic industrial capacity

[1:10:44] that makes Oklahoma a more capable and more resilient partner in America's

[1:10:49] defense posture. Vista and Southwest Oklahoma stand in full support. Coming

[1:10:54] from a county with lots and lots of manufacturing, some of the best

[1:10:58] manufacturing in the nation happens in southwest Oklahoma and economic

[1:11:01] development. We strongly urge this community to embrace the opportunity it

[1:11:05] has in front of it today. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[1:11:12] » Number 14, please.

[1:11:24] Good evening. Uh, thank you for the opportunity to address you tonight. My

[1:11:27] name is Howard Ground. I run a nonprofit organization called the Environmental

[1:11:33] Federation of Oklahoma. An EFO is a nonprofit 501c6

[1:11:38] with the goal of ensuring that a balance is reached between protecting Oklahoma's

[1:11:44] natural resources and responsible economic growth.

[1:11:49] Uh, achieving this goal will lead to an environment and an improved quality of

[1:11:54] life for all citizens of Oklahoma. EFO has 125 member companies from all

[1:12:00] across the state, all types of companies. And we support economic

[1:12:04] development for the benefit of the local community as well as the entire state.

[1:12:10] And those 125 companies, they have about 800 environmental,

[1:12:17] health, and safety employees. And I work with these employees to make sure that

[1:12:21] they have the resources to um comply with their permits, make sure

[1:12:28] that they know exactly what needs to be done. We do training, we do outreach, uh

[1:12:33] but also do help with economic development. So we do support the

[1:12:38] Oklahoma primary aluminina facility and this significant envir uh economic

[1:12:45] development impact on the area and the state. And all I really want you to ask

[1:12:49] is that what you've heard earlier is that you know you take into account the

[1:12:54] implications far beyond I know when you make your decision. It it doesn't stop

[1:12:59] here. It's the entire state. It's the country.

[1:13:03] I don't want Oklahoma to be uh not open for business. And I'm afraid

[1:13:10] that's what will happen if we if we do something that's not

[1:13:16] um to benefit our economic development in

[1:13:19] this state. We will shut down economic development and that's not good for

[1:13:22] anyone. So, thank you for your time. >> Thank you.

[1:13:28] Number

[1:13:33] 15, please.

[1:13:36] » Blue. Number 15.

[1:14:00] Hello, I'm Marcy McKinley. I live in Iola.

[1:14:06] I'm amazed how many people who have spoken about economic and have not

[1:14:11] looked at the Inola smelter website or they know that we have several chemical

[1:14:18] engineers who have helped to bring truth to this question. Some of them sitting

[1:14:23] here tonight. We have

[1:14:28] a mechanical engineer who designs natural gas gas plants which supply

[1:14:33] electricity. We have the top people and they all are

[1:14:38] united and understanding that environmentally we can't have this

[1:14:44] smelter. Some of the people I spoke with earlier

[1:14:49] admitted that they've never seen the air quality application. I have to wonder

[1:14:54] why you would talk about what's wrong with you people in Iola that you won't

[1:15:00] get behind this great opportunity and they've never looked at the air

[1:15:06] quality application. That's where you start. Let me tell you about here since

[1:15:12] 1908. People's farms, ranches, and homes

[1:15:16] predate the port of the Tulsa and the Tulsa Port Authority. Most of that land

[1:15:22] was zoned agricultural until 2017 when it was reszoned heavy industrial by

[1:15:28] the city of Inola. Property owners whose land abuts the

[1:15:33] port of Inola didn't like the reasonzoning, but they were never

[1:15:37] consulted about it. As a matter of fact, I haven't talked to any of them who were

[1:15:42] notified of the zoning change at that time. The zoning change was published in

[1:15:47] the Claremore Progress in 2017, but by that time those property owners found

[1:15:52] out about it. There was nothing they could do. Now the whole town and

[1:15:57] surrounding area are facing an aluminum smelter which will usher in toxic

[1:16:02] chemicals like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to name just one which will

[1:16:08] bring serious health problems not just for people but for animals as well. The

[1:16:13] entire area, including all soil and crops, will be covered in fluorides.

[1:16:19] I know hay will become infamous for being poisoned. All property within at

[1:16:25] least 10 miles of the smelter will face collapsing values. and the Oklahoma

[1:16:30] business community, Governor Stit and Oklahoma politicians, with the exception

[1:16:36] of Gentner Drummond and Tom Gan and some other fantastic people are doing nothing

[1:16:43] about it because they either love the revenue they think the smelter will give

[1:16:47] them or they fear President Trump. Now the foreign owners of the smelter from

[1:16:54] Abu Dhabi and Dubai are threatening with f financial sanctions if we dare to call

[1:17:00] a moratorum so we can look at important questions.

[1:17:05] » Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause]

[1:17:10] [cheering] Oh,

[1:17:14] [applause]

[1:17:18] [cheering] we're going to go to number 16, please.

[1:17:22] Number 16.

[1:17:27] » Okay. I think you I think it's 17. Is that correct, sir?

[1:17:32] » Are you 16? Okay.

[1:17:42] My [clears throat] name is Bob Rener. I prepared this and sit here and listen to

[1:17:48] some of this. I was amazed at some of the speakers, especially the the ladies

[1:17:53] that spoke, four or five of them. And why am I surprised the federal

[1:17:57] government sent their troops here today this evening.

[1:18:01] So, it changes what [applause] I want to say.

[1:18:06] I I voted for the man because I thought he would close the borders and now he's

[1:18:11] cramming this down our throat.

[1:18:15] The pe here's the thing about it. The people in the community.

[1:18:20] I've been I've been here 50 of my 86 years

[1:18:26] and I'm not in good health and I don't want to get involved in this because I

[1:18:30] don't sleep when I do and I'm not sleeping at night. I've been sick this

[1:18:34] year, but I've got family and I've got friends

[1:18:37] here. And this has been a pleasant community to live in.

[1:18:44] This is the biggest controversy I've ever seen.

[1:18:48] And I would like to charge each one of you. You are fighting a giant. And I

[1:18:53] don't feel like all of you know it. We're inviting the enemy of the United

[1:18:59] States of America that next door to the Muslims over here [applause]

[1:19:06] to own [cheering] this to own this plant.

[1:19:10] And who are those people that's going to own the minority portion of it? Where

[1:19:17] are they from? I bet they're not from Iola.

[1:19:22] Uh, I would say this to I'm going when

[1:19:27] President Trump went to China, he come back and said he was going to give land

[1:19:32] to Chinese businesses to come over here and build. I bet you I know where he can

[1:19:37] get a bunch of them built over on the river.

[1:19:42] I tell if if any of you don't feel like taking this fight, and I don't, but

[1:19:48] you'd be doing yourself and the community a favor to let somebody else

[1:19:52] in your position that can can put up with it.

[1:19:56] [applause] Thank you.

[1:20:04] [cheering] [applause]

[1:20:09] Number

[1:20:14] 17, please. 17.

[1:20:20] Hello, my name is Amber Self and I currently reside in East Broken Arrow,

[1:20:25] directly west of the Vertigris River on our family farm. The Self family has

[1:20:29] farmed in this area for nearly five generations since the 1930s and

[1:20:34] currently owns farm ground right on the Vertigus River. The family also owns

[1:20:39] cattle approximately three miles away from this proposed aluminum smelter. The

[1:20:45] proposed smelter location would be directly across the river from the

[1:20:48] family farm ground. This large project is not just isolated to the town of

[1:20:54] Inola. This project will directly affect us on the west side of the river in

[1:20:58] Broken Arrow as well. I don't think that's getting enough attention. The

[1:21:02] Vertigris River provides water to Wagner County Rural Water District number four

[1:21:07] and number five, the city of Broken Arrow, the city of Kawita, and many

[1:21:12] other towns. The water supply is sourced downstream from where the aluminum

[1:21:17] smelter would be located. There are also many farms downstream

[1:21:21] that use irrigation for their row crop farming operations. This is a major risk

[1:21:26] of contamination to the water source. The proposed smelter will emit 425 tons

[1:21:32] of hydrogen fluoride into the air annually per the Oklahoma DEEQ. This

[1:21:38] amount of fluoride is deemed extremely hazardous according to the EPA. Once

[1:21:43] fluoride is introduced into a public water supply is permanent. Fluoride ions

[1:21:48] are extremely tough. They do not evaporate, boil, or degrade in water.

[1:21:53] The only way to remove or filter fluoride from tap water is to use

[1:21:56] specialized treatment methods, which most standard water treatment plants do

[1:22:00] not have. We own cattle and horses approximately 3 miles from this

[1:22:05] location. The hydrogen fluoride that will be emitted will pollute the air,

[1:22:09] water, grass, and surrounding and soil surrounding the area. Fluorosis is a

[1:22:15] chronic disease caused by continued ingestion of small but toxic amounts of

[1:22:19] fluoride in the diet or drinking water over a long duration of time. When the

[1:22:24] fluoride settles on the surrounding forage, the cattle and horses then

[1:22:28] ingest it. Long-term exposure can cause skeletal fluorosis which will leave a

[1:22:33] severe impact on our cattle operation. Not only do we have life livestock near

[1:22:38] this proposed smelter location, but we grow corn, wheat, and soybeans

[1:22:43] approximately a tenth of a mile from the smelter directly west of the river.

[1:22:47] Fluoride can accumulate on plant leaves and it can cause leaf burn. It can low

[1:22:51] cause lower yielding crops and it can cause overall reduced growth. I am for

[1:22:57] America first, but this agenda is simply not it. Century Alum Aluminum has a long

[1:23:02] history of not following emission guidelines. They have faced multiple

[1:23:06] environmental violations for exceeding emissions test in Kentucky. They had 30

[1:23:11] violations in the last 12 years for exceeding emission limits and numerous

[1:23:15] other violations. Our family holds great pride in farming

[1:23:19] and this proposed aluminum smelter would cause irreversible damage. For our far

[1:23:23] our family, farming is >> Thank you.

[1:23:26] » Can I I have two more sentences. >> Please finish the two sentences.

[1:23:30] » Okay. For our family, farming is not just a side job, but is it is our entire

[1:23:35] entire livelihood. This smelter is not only a threat to our family farm and our

[1:23:40] health, but to ev the health of every individual that lives in the surrounding

[1:23:44] area. Please consider passing a moratorum.

[1:23:47] » Thank you. Thank you. [cheering]

[1:23:53] » [applause]

[1:23:56] » Number 19.

[1:24:03] Good evening, Mayor Council. We've talked before. We're talking again

[1:24:10] tonight. Everyone that seems to have talked on

[1:24:13] the pro side of this, I can't help but question whether they read the moratorum

[1:24:20] that is being requested tonight. They are saying national security, national

[1:24:26] security, this must be done. This must be done. I didn't realize that a

[1:24:31] temporary stop to study a zoning law somehow prevents the national security

[1:24:36] of the United States for the most critical mineral we [cheering] could

[1:24:40] possibly find. [applause] In addition to that,

[1:24:45] why are we suggesting that when we receive 60% of our import of aluminum

[1:24:50] from Canada that we have a strategic issue with the sourcing of that

[1:24:54] material? I didn't realize that we were at war with Canada.

[1:24:59] China does not [cheering] make up the imports of aluminum to this country.

[1:25:05] That is from the International Aluminum Institute. I would love for them to

[1:25:09] provide the facts that say that is incorrect. That is not the strategic

[1:25:13] issue here. The better question for all of you because I wrote a lot of stuff

[1:25:17] down and I'm going completely different direction. The question for you is why

[1:25:22] are they here now? Why does this matter to them now? It

[1:25:26] didn't matter to them months ago. It didn't matter until they realized that

[1:25:31] maybe this was not going to be an easy punt across the finish line that they

[1:25:35] thought. And you all have the opportunity

[1:25:40] to not stop this permanently. You have the opportunity to take a breath and to

[1:25:45] say, "Hey, we know that this is the biggest aluminum smelter this country

[1:25:50] has ever seen. We don't know how to handle that as a town. You shouldn't.

[1:25:55] You are not who is supposed to make this decision. That's what this temporary

[1:26:00] moratorum will give you the opportunity. I That's great that it's for national

[1:26:04] security. Wonderful. DEEQ hasn't finished their permit writing. They

[1:26:08] haven't even got through the backed analysis. They're on step like two of

[1:26:12] 10. Why are you being told that if you pass a temporary moratorum that somehow

[1:26:18] delays a billion dollar project and loses them $70 million? That makes zero

[1:26:23] sense. And I really urge you to look at your neighbors, not these folks that

[1:26:28] have showed up and asked you to say national security should be above your

[1:26:32] neighbor, but to look at all of us that live here and say, why can't we take six

[1:26:36] months to figure out whether this is okay? Thank you. [applause and cheering]

[1:26:44] » [cheering]

[1:26:48] [applause]

[1:26:53] » Number 20, please. Number 20.

[1:26:59] » It's because they skipped the line. >> It's because they skipped the line.

[1:27:02] » They You skipped You skipped a line. us.

[1:27:13] » Good. Good evening. For those of you that don't know me, my name is Carl Day.

[1:27:19] To set the record straight, I am not against growth in Iola.

[1:27:24] As the city manager has told others around the community, I am pro- a

[1:27:29] business and pro property rights. I operate a cattle operation in southern

[1:27:34] Rogers and Maize counties. My business handles close to 3,000 cattle a year and

[1:27:40] only I only state this to point out the

[1:27:44] importance of finding out fluoride how finding out how fluoride from an

[1:27:49] aluminum smelter could affect my business.

[1:27:53] I have asked OPA, DEEQ, the EPA, and the Oklahoma Department of A with no one

[1:27:59] giving me a data-driven answer. With millions of dollars at stake for my

[1:28:05] business, my wife and I made the decision to travel to Henderson County,

[1:28:09] Kentucky to gather soil and grass samples. Those samples were taken along

[1:28:14] county roads and highways two and five miles north

[1:28:19] and two and five miles south of Century Aluminum Sabb plant with the hopes that

[1:28:24] those samples would test at levels that would let my

[1:28:29] business continue. Unfortunately, those four samples of grass all came

[1:28:34] back with toxic levels of fluoride. The lab report was sent to a toxicologist,

[1:28:39] but I will let somebody else read that to you. These samples range from 1,910

[1:28:45] parts per million to 183 parts per million with 40 parts per million being

[1:28:51] considered toxic for cattle. These samples were taken both five the samples

[1:28:56] taken at both five mile distances were actually the highest of the group.

[1:29:02] I believe these results prove that toxic emissions will not stay on OPA property

[1:29:07] or even the port's property. fluoride particullet will be be dispersed upon

[1:29:12] private property for miles potentially making livestock grazing impossible in

[1:29:17] the area. I have voiced my concerns with numerous numerous agencies and have

[1:29:22] attached attended meetings with EPA officials and senators. On Tuesday of

[1:29:28] last week, myself and a few other livestock producers were asked to meet

[1:29:31] with Zad Ferris with EGA and John DZ with Century Aluminum to discuss our

[1:29:37] concerns. They gave us the same answers that we have heard many times before.

[1:29:42] It's a modern plant with modern technologies.

[1:29:45] They didn't give any sort of data-driven answers to our questions. And when asked

[1:29:50] about having a third party gather samples for soil and grass to either

[1:29:54] confirm or contradict my findings, they said no.

[1:29:59] Please pass this moratorum so that real data-driven answers can be given because

[1:30:03] it's modern doesn't mean it won't pollute our community.

[1:30:08] Just for reference, a five mile circumference from the smelter would be

[1:30:11] 50,000 acres. A seven mile circumference is 100,000 acres.

[1:30:17] » Thank you, Carl. [applause]

[1:30:22] [cheering]

[1:30:29] [applause] >> Number 21, please. Number 21, please.

[1:30:36] No, they've they've messed up. >> Carl was 19.

[1:30:42] » Our paper's different. >> Our paper is different. Okay.

[1:30:48] » Good evening. My name is Andrew Faren. I'm also a local livestock producer in

[1:30:53] Iola. I'm the one that sent the uh Kentucky grass sample data to the

[1:30:58] Oklahoma State University animal toxicologist, Dr. Dion Vandermir

[1:31:04] for review. Here's what he had to say. The high grass concentrations compared

[1:31:09] to the soil concentrations indicate that source of fluoride in the grass samples

[1:31:12] is likely to be fluoride containing particullet that settle on plant

[1:31:16] surfaces rather than fluoride uptake from the soil. Known sources of this

[1:31:21] type of contamination include fertilizer production, mineral supplement

[1:31:25] production, and metal processing, particularly steel and aluminum. The

[1:31:29] fluoride concentrations in the soil do not represent a significant poisoning

[1:31:34] risk to grazing animals. The fluoride concentrations in grass samples,

[1:31:38] however, are not compatible with safe grazing of cattle. The nationalmy's

[1:31:44] indicated a maximum tolerable dietary fluoride level for beef cattle at 40

[1:31:48] parts per million. The tested grass samples contain fluoride at up to 48

[1:31:53] times this level. This represents an extremely high

[1:31:57] exposure scenario if animals were to graze such grass as a sub substantial

[1:32:01] component of their diet. The most likely risk is chron chronic fluorosis with

[1:32:06] potential for permanent dental and skeletal damage, impaired growth,

[1:32:10] lameness, and poor welfare. One of his recommendations, which should

[1:32:15] resonate with everybody in this room, is do not make hay or silage from any

[1:32:20] potentially affected cap affected pastures for cattle feed unless testing

[1:32:24] confirms acceptable fluoride concentrations.

[1:32:29] Like Carl mentioned, last week myself and other livestock producers met with

[1:32:32] EGA and Century uh representatives. We asked if they would be willing to have

[1:32:37] an independent third party collect samples around current Century aluminum

[1:32:40] sites. They refused. We also asked who would be liable in the event livestock

[1:32:46] became ill, lame, or died or if hay was sold to an individual in a different

[1:32:49] area and those livestock became ill, lame, or died. They refused to answer on

[1:32:53] account that they did not have their lawyers present.

[1:32:57] Now ask yourself, why would a company who claims they want to be good

[1:33:01] neighbors refuse to answer those questions? refused to have independent

[1:33:05] third-party test the grass and soil around their plants. Even if their claim

[1:33:09] is true that they will reduce fluoride emissions by 70 to 80% based on these

[1:33:13] results in Dr. Vandermir's report, instead of a 48 time toxic limit, it

[1:33:18] would be a 10 to 14 time toxic limit. I ask you to pass this moratorum and

[1:33:23] call for third party independent testing around their current sites and let

[1:33:27] science and data be the guide, not a corporation. [applause] Thank you.

[1:33:32] » Thank [cheering] you.

[1:33:38] » [applause]

[1:33:45] » Okay. So, my numbers are off here. So, we're going to say 21. Is that Cody

[1:33:51] Moore? Is that you? Please.

[1:34:00] » Good evening. My name is Cody Moore. My family owns Moors Flying M Ranch. We've

[1:34:06] been here a while. I'm here to ask you to pass the moratorum tonight. Please

[1:34:11] don't let a threat letter from the UAE make this decision for you. A moratorum

[1:34:16] grounded in the health and safety of this community is not arbitrary

[1:34:20] targeting. [clears throat] We won't be bullied. There are people scheduled to

[1:34:25] talk tonight whose money matters more than our livelihood and health. We've

[1:34:30] heard from a few already. Um they got here early to tell us how we should

[1:34:34] sacrifice for our country. Uh as if farmers don't sacri sacrifice enough.

[1:34:40] Please keep in mind that uh national security is not on the shoulders of Iola

[1:34:45] citizens. We were just the path of least

[1:34:48] resistance until now. As you hear tonight from the EPA and the ODQ, please

[1:34:54] remember permitted does not mean safe. Century Aluminum ran a smelter at Mount

[1:35:00] Holly, South Carolina that exceeded [clears throat] its pollution limits

[1:35:04] more than 20 times in five years. Neighbors had aluminum oxide rain down

[1:35:09] on their homes and cars. They were fined $360,000

[1:35:13] just last year. Other smelters, including Columbia Falls, Montana,

[1:35:18] became super fun sites. Their [clears throat] towns are still cleaning

[1:35:22] up today. I yield the rest of my time to my wife, Kristen.

[1:35:28] » [applause] >> Can you do that?

[1:35:31] Ma'am, ma'am, are you are you down here? Please, have you put your name down to

[1:35:37] talk? >> No, he just yielded his time to me.

[1:35:39] » If you can finish your three minutes, please. And you're not on the agenda.

[1:35:43] » I mean, on the on the deal. >> Okay.

[1:35:50] » All right. Um, I'm going to read this poem. It's a poem.

[1:35:54] When you were a child, did you play among the trees? Did you dig in the dirt

[1:35:58] and feel the breeze on the swings? Did your grandpa have cattle? Did you watch

[1:36:03] as they roamed? Did your grandma grow a garden right outside her home? Did you

[1:36:09] ever ache for those feelings for the warmth of that sun? [clears throat]

[1:36:13] What you've yet to do now can still be undone. Our children are still here. My

[1:36:18] son is right there. I'm not asking. I'm begging. Let him

[1:36:22] breathe clean air. You were once a child and you trusted your grown-ups to choose

[1:36:28] for your safety, your heir, your livelihood, that they would side with

[1:36:32] the greater good. My heart is on my sleeve as I beg of you to refuse. You

[1:36:37] know what the right answer is, and I think you've always known. Please vote

[1:36:41] like the child that you once were is still coming home.

[1:36:46] » Thank you. [applause]

[1:36:55] » [applause] >> Number 22, please. 22.

[1:37:12] » We'll turn this this way. Um, I know a lot of us had time to stretch a minute

[1:37:17] ago, so if you're for the smelter, if you can stand up.

[1:37:21] That's what I thought. All of these people had the balls to stand up and

[1:37:25] come in here today. And we've got a lot of people sitting over here on this left

[1:37:29] side. And where I come from, we call that butt puppets. Somebody dresses up

[1:37:35] and somebody sends them to come down here and talk and say a bunch of crap.

[1:37:39] But for the first guy that spoke that's real worried about your family, your

[1:37:43] kids, and your livelihood. You want to move next door to this buddy and raise

[1:37:46] four generations of family and have your dogs and cats out there. Don't tell me

[1:37:50] you're worried about your livelihood because of this plant coming in. You

[1:37:54] think we're not? [cheering] [applause]

[1:38:00] There's several generations sitting on this front row right here that's got

[1:38:04] land invested for years. I've got land that families going to be on for years,

[1:38:08] but no, we're all scared to death. We're going to lose it. So you, your kids can

[1:38:12] have a good life. That's what you're worried about. Come down here and move

[1:38:15] next to it, buddy. Put it in your damn backyard. [screaming]

[1:38:20] [cheering]

[1:38:23] [applause]

[1:38:30] [cheering] [applause]

[1:38:33] » Number 23, please. [applause] >> Oh, it's only going to get worse.

[1:38:39] » Number 23. Yeah, it's only going to get worse for

[1:38:43] him. >> All right, so they're out of touch.

[1:38:49] » I know. What do I got to do? I got to grab the microphone. All right. Okay.

[1:38:51] You're obvious you guys are out of touch. I mean, absolutely out of touch.

[1:38:54] And I understand you're only doing your job, but you're paid to be here. We're

[1:38:57] not paid to be here. We're actually losing money to be here. [cheering] So,

[1:39:00] so I get it to a small degree, but ethically the fearing. So, we've had

[1:39:05] nothing but name dropping, right? I've heard Trump a dozen times. I don't care.

[1:39:08] I voted for him three times, too. I don't care. Trump don't live in my

[1:39:12] backyard. I've heard uh hyperbolic fear-mongering. That's been my favorite

[1:39:16] part. The the the the generalities, right? What we got? Uh national

[1:39:20] security, um open for business, uh logistics, positive move, actively

[1:39:26] fortifying. None of that means anything. It's l I So, just for reference, I was

[1:39:32] in the United States military also, and I worked for the public affairs office,

[1:39:37] the PAO. what they're doing. I facilitated. It's

[1:39:42] bull crap. Right? It is. It literally I I did this for a living. Okay. All

[1:39:46] right. So, here's the reality. If our national security literally depends on

[1:39:51] this smelter again, then you didn't do your jobs. Why should we listen to you?

[1:39:54] Now, if you put us in this position, [cheering] WE'RE NOT HERE TO save you

[1:39:59] from your mistakes. We're not here, guys. We're not here to save them from

[1:40:04] their mistakes. Right? That's that's not our responsibility. if they created that

[1:40:09] reality. But we all know again it's fear-mongering. That's not a reality.

[1:40:12] Okay? The United States of America is not in danger because we don't have

[1:40:16] enough aluminum, right? I mean, do we need more aluminum? Absolutely. And hey,

[1:40:20] who are you trying to convince? Nobody here. It was so patronizing,

[1:40:24] narcissistic, and entitled. >> Oh my gosh. We know.

[1:40:28] » We've heard it. The bullet points every day. We know aluminum's important. We

[1:40:33] know jobs matter. We know industry matters. Not here. You literally want to

[1:40:39] take a plant that's going to poison hay and put it in the hay capital of the

[1:40:43] world. [screaming] How dumb. [cheering] And you think we're Okay. Sorry.

[1:40:47] [applause] Let me Let me drop it down. All right.

[1:40:49] So, sorry. I just It's It's just so crazy to

[1:40:56] think that we're going to believe that. Again, he said there's no data driven.

[1:40:59] It's all generalities. No data driven. We're not your guinea pigs. The data,

[1:41:04] all the data that is out there shows it's bad. It's bad. Give me one data

[1:41:10] point that you can prove. We might talk. The moratorium is simply that. Giving

[1:41:16] everyone time to breathe, look at it, and take a chance. Okay? Look, you're

[1:41:22] our elected officials. Okay? You are here to represent our wishes to the

[1:41:27] state and federal government, not the federal government's wishes to the city.

[1:41:32] Period. This is your community that elected you guys. I love almost I I know

[1:41:40] every one of you intimately, [applause]

[1:41:43] but you're here for us, not for them. WE DON'T WANT IT. I DON'T CARE IF IT'S

[1:41:47] SAFE. I don't I really don't. We don't want it. We don't have to care for those

[1:41:52] things. >> Sir, thank you. [cheering]

[1:41:57] [applause] Number

[1:42:04] 24, please.

[1:42:14] » Mr. Derban, are you not 24?

[1:42:20] [cheering] >> The number is messed up. [applause]

[1:42:27] I don't know who did it. >> I got applause on the way up. I just

[1:42:30] want to point that out. That was kind of cool.

[1:42:33] Y'all, I'm American by birth and God bless the United States of America.

[1:42:39] [applause and cheering]

[1:42:42] Folks, I'm a Oklahoma by choice. I live here cuz I love Oklahoma.

[1:42:48] And I'm here tonight with the fine fantastic citizens of Iola by the grace

[1:42:53] of God to stand up with them and fight about choice. That's what you face here

[1:43:01] tonight. It is not an enviable place that you sit. I don't envy you not one

[1:43:05] bit because you have a tough choice as we've all faced in our lives as we come

[1:43:10] to those crossroads of what to do. And in our lives, we have the choice

[1:43:14] sometimes of taking the easy path or taking the hard path. And here tonight,

[1:43:19] I'm here to tell you that the easy path is going along with the federal

[1:43:23] government and those trying to sell you a multi-billion dollar deal that will

[1:43:27] sell Oklahomaans and the city of Iola out.

[1:43:32] » That's the easy path. That's not the hard path. Tonight, I'm asking you to

[1:43:37] make a decision that is based on making the hard choices. It's difficult to make

[1:43:43] those choices, but those kind of decisions are what lead to principle and

[1:43:48] that is what matters in the great state of Oklahoma. So, I want you to know not

[1:43:53] who stands against the Inola smelter. I think that's pretty clear. But I want

[1:43:58] you to know that as you choose this difficult path, the path towards

[1:44:01] moratorum, sensible thinking, sensible design, investigation and discovery, I

[1:44:08] want you to know that there are people here who are against the smelter, but

[1:44:12] they stand with you if you stand for them and a moratorum to investigate this

[1:44:18] issue. [applause]

[1:44:22] I stand [cheering] with you. If you choose this fight against the federal

[1:44:27] government, you're going to go back and you're going to get advice from Nathan

[1:44:30] Cross, a man who I went to law school with, and he's a smart guy. He's not

[1:44:34] going to be able to deliver you any promises on exactly what you need to do

[1:44:38] to make the right decision. Because this is not what principled decisions rest

[1:44:42] on. They don't rest on clear and easy decisions. They rest on decisions that

[1:44:46] are hard. And the hard decision here is to fight against a massive federal

[1:44:51] bureaucracy, to fight against foreign entities that want to own Oklahoma land.

[1:44:55] And on our 250th anniversary of this country, I want to stand against foreign

[1:45:01] ownership of United States of America property. And I want to ask everybody in

[1:45:06] here who will stand with the Inola Council, if they vote against this, if

[1:45:11] you would for a second, just stand if you'll stand with them to fight against

[1:45:15] this. >> [cheering]

[1:45:17] » I rest my case. Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause]

[1:45:24] » Okay, we are on number 26, please.

[1:45:43] Mayor and Board of Trustees, thank you for your service. My name is John

[1:45:46] Chappie. I'm from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. I'm here to read

[1:45:49] a note on behalf of the Aluminum Association.

[1:45:53] The Aluminum Association has long supported growing aluminum smelter base

[1:45:57] in the United States. From the 1980s to today, US primary aluminum production

[1:46:02] declined more than 80% while jobs and sector have declined around 75% over the

[1:46:07] past decade. Today, the United States is only able to make about 17% of the

[1:46:12] primary aluminum it uses every year, making us heavily reliant on imports to

[1:46:16] meet demand. The Aluminum Association supports an all of the- above approach

[1:46:20] to metal supply. Both primary aluminum production and recycling have a critical

[1:46:24] role to play in increasing American aluminum self-reliance.

[1:46:28] As we noted when the pro the project was formally announced, the Anola smelter

[1:46:33] would be an enormous beacon for American aluminum makers and significant step

[1:46:37] toward making a more self-sufficient domestic industry. Primary and recycled

[1:46:42] aluminum are complimentary, not interchangeable materials. Even and even

[1:46:47] with continued growth in recycling and secondary production, the United States

[1:46:51] will require substantial amounts of primary aluminum to meet demands from

[1:46:54] defense, aerospace, electrical infrastructure, and other strategic

[1:46:58] sectors now and in the future. Thank you.

[1:47:01] » Thank you.

[1:47:07] » Okay, number 27, please.

[1:47:15] Thank you everybody for coming. It's important.

[1:47:21] » Um, I didn't plan on speaking. My name is Hannah Ward and I'm from Claremore.

[1:47:25] And I appreciate you listening to our comments. I'm just going to read

[1:47:28] straight from a study from the Agricultural Science Digest volume 41

[1:47:33] special issue of April 2021. Sorry, nervous.

[1:47:39] » Okay. It's acute and chronic effects of aluminum smelter dust on hematology,

[1:47:45] metal bioaccumulation and oxidant antioxidant status in rats. So it says

[1:47:51] aluminum smelting industry is implicated with documented health risks. The study

[1:47:57] examined toxic effects of aluminum smelting dust on real life chemical

[1:48:03] hazard instead of single aluminum compounds which seldom exist in real

[1:48:08] life. Sorry.

[1:48:12] Um, so the methods were that the adult rats

[1:48:16] were um gavvaged acute three consecutive days and chronic six weeks doses of two

[1:48:23] dust concentrations. The results were aluminum and iron were highest in dust

[1:48:30] and respectively accumulated in the brain, the liver and the kidneys.

[1:48:34] Anemia, inflammation um in the liver and kidney and caused

[1:48:41] damage and oxidative stress were established in view of thrombocytoenia

[1:48:46] which was 35% which is a blood platelet issue.

[1:48:50] um luccoytes which was 41%.

[1:48:55] And um lymphocytes which was 55% and alterations in the amino transferase

[1:49:02] creatine um melanodelahhide

[1:49:07] super oxidative dismutase catalase aluminum facilitation of iron mediated

[1:49:14] lipid preoxidation is suggested. These findings drew attention to the magnitude

[1:49:21] of dose dependent and the persistent time dependent of aluminum dust as a

[1:49:26] health compromising as health compromising and are of

[1:49:30] particular significance to workers in aluminum smelting industry. Well, at the

[1:49:36] bottom of this first page, it says, "This study followed the novel concept

[1:49:42] of real life risk simulation by examining the toxic effects of aluminum

[1:49:47] smelting dust as a real life chemical hazard instead of a single aluminum

[1:49:52] compound, which seldom exists in real life. And the study is an attempt to

[1:49:56] create reliable predictions and estimates of hemat or hem heotoxic,

[1:50:04] nephrotoxic, hepotoxic and oxidative risks imposed upon human activity

[1:50:10] exposed to aluminum dust. And my question is where are the doctors and

[1:50:14] the scientists that are here to say we have these studies. We can prove it to

[1:50:19] you. We know without a fact that everybody here, children, animals,

[1:50:25] everyone's safe. So, thank you. >> Thank you. [applause]

[1:50:36] » Number 29, please.

[1:50:57] Good evening, trustees. My name is Brent Skarky. I'm the head of communications

[1:51:01] for the state chamber of Oklahoma. I'm here today representing the Oklahoma

[1:51:05] business community. First off, we'd like to thank you for spending the time in

[1:51:10] the service. Decisions like this are never simple. They require careful,

[1:51:14] thoughtful, and sound judgment. You have to be willing to balance the interests

[1:51:18] of your community today with the needs of future generations. We appreciate

[1:51:22] your willingness to take on this responsibility.

[1:51:26] This is an important project for Oklahoma. While the decisions center on

[1:51:31] an aluminum production facility, the implications reach far beyond a single

[1:51:36] site or a single company. Projects like these strengthen our state's

[1:51:40] manufacturing base, create good paying jobs. They show that Oklahoma is ready

[1:51:44] to compete for industries that will shape the economy for decades to come.

[1:51:49] At the same time, we appreciate that members of this community are asking

[1:51:53] fair questions. When something this big is proposed, those questions are

[1:51:57] appropriate and they deserve thoughtful answers. The good news is that Oklahoma

[1:52:02] and our community have processes designed for exactly these moments.

[1:52:06] Oklahoma is no stranger to conversations like this one. For generations, our

[1:52:10] state has been a pioneer in energy production. At the same time, we've

[1:52:15] remained a leader in agriculture, which of course depends on clean water,

[1:52:19] healthy land, and responsible stewardship. Our experience tells us

[1:52:23] that these priorities don't have to compete with one another. Oklahoma's

[1:52:27] history gives us confidence that we can evaluate opportunities like this one

[1:52:31] carefully and fairly. We believe this project should continue

[1:52:36] moving through that proven process and that process matters. It protects the

[1:52:40] public. It gives communities confidence and it gives business clear expectations

[1:52:45] about the standards they must meet. If Oklahoma wants to remain a place where

[1:52:50] manufacturers choose to build, where families can have good jobs close to

[1:52:54] home, and where communities can continue to thrive, we must be willing to

[1:52:59] thoughtfully approve projects like this and dismiss and not dismiss them simply

[1:53:04] because they're large or they're new. Our message today is simple. This is a

[1:53:09] good project for Oklahoma. Environmental standards should be met, and when they

[1:53:14] are, the plan should move forward. That means new high-paying jobs for Inola and

[1:53:20] surrounding communities. Projects like this come around once in a lifetime, and

[1:53:25] we have a chance to change the trajectory of Oklahoma. We know Oklahoma

[1:53:29] can welcome responsible industrial development while remaining a good

[1:53:34] steward for the people and the resources that make our state a great place to

[1:53:38] live and call home. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[1:53:42] Um,

[1:53:46] number 30, please. Number 30.

[1:54:02] » Good evening, uh, Madame Mayor and members of the board of trustees. I

[1:54:06] appreciate your service and, uh, the difficult decision you have in front of

[1:54:09] you. Uh, my name is John Bud. I'm an Oklahoma. I've raised two boys in this

[1:54:14] state. And like every parent, nothing is more important to me than two things.

[1:54:18] Creating opportunities for my children and making sure they're safe. I don't

[1:54:21] believe those are competing values. As a father, I would not support anything

[1:54:25] that asks Oklahoma families to choose between those two things. Today, I serve

[1:54:30] as the head of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, and that's why I'm here

[1:54:32] tonight. People ask all the time how we keep our children and grandchildren from

[1:54:37] leaving their homes in Oklahoma for a bigger city. I worry about it all the

[1:54:41] time with my boys. We keep them by creating exciting opportunities where

[1:54:45] they grow up. This is the kind of project that gives

[1:54:50] young people a reason to stay, raise a family, and build a career right here in

[1:54:54] this community. This project will create opportunities for the people in this

[1:54:58] room, for your children, and for your children's children. It is a $4 billion

[1:55:03] investment, the largest in Oklahoma history. It will create a thousand

[1:55:07] direct jobs, thousands more construction and supplier jobs, and establish

[1:55:11] Oklahoma as the home to the first new primary aluminum production facility

[1:55:15] built in the US in nearly 50 years. As you've heard tonight, it's critical for

[1:55:19] a lot of reasons, but to me, the most important thing is a broad opportunity.

[1:55:23] I do understand why some people have concerns. If this facility is going to

[1:55:27] be your neighbor, you deserve answers. You deserve transparency and you deserve

[1:55:32] confidence that no corners are being cut. That is why the Department of

[1:55:36] Environmental Quality's review is so important. Their job is to make sure

[1:55:39] this facility meets Oklahoma's environmental standards before it ever

[1:55:43] begins operating. That process should cont should continue exactly as

[1:55:47] intended. No shortcuts, no skip steps. If this project can't meet the

[1:55:53] regulatory threshold, I don't want it either.

[1:55:56] We've done our homework. I recently visited a facility in Dubai that is

[1:56:01] similar in size and technology to the one proposed here. Modern technology.

[1:56:05] What I saw was a modern, highly automated manufacturing facility with

[1:56:09] sophisticated environmental controls. It was clean, technologically advanced, and

[1:56:14] nothing like the images many people associate with heavy industry from

[1:56:17] generations ago. Reasonable people, reasonable people can ask tough

[1:56:22] questions about a project like this. In fact, they should.

[1:56:26] After looking closely at this project, I believe Oklahoma can have both

[1:56:30] meaningful opportunities for future generations and strong protections for

[1:56:33] the families who live here today. And I support this project. Thank you for

[1:56:37] listening. >> Thank you.

[1:56:43] » Okay, we're at number 31, please.

[1:56:58] Good evening, Mayor and Council. We live less than two miles from the

[1:57:03] proposed site. We homeschool our children and have two acres for

[1:57:06] gardening and for animals that feed us. There are Facebook posts from Governor

[1:57:12] Stitz, a letter from the Port Authority, a letter from the OPA, a letter from the

[1:57:18] UAE, and now a letter from the White House. Speaking of President Trump,

[1:57:23] despite the fact that someone erected a 22 foot statue, golden statue of him in

[1:57:28] Florida, he's not God. None of these big guys are God over Inola, Oklahoma.

[1:57:36] So allow me to quote from another letter written from by the one true God. A

[1:57:43] letter that gives clear direction, instructions, and warnings about what

[1:57:48] the council should do in this matter. Proverbs 9:10 states that the fear of

[1:57:54] the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 29:25 says, "The fear of a man

[1:58:00] lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe." Additionally, Isaiah

[1:58:06] 28:16 warns us, "Whoever believes will not act

[1:58:13] hastily." Why are all these big guys, tiny ants

[1:58:19] compared to God, rushing things, trying to scare us? These are not godly ways,

[1:58:25] but diabolical tactics. This fear is a snare. Don't let them scare you. Ask

[1:58:32] yourself, who do you fear? Who will judge you and your decisions?

[1:58:38] Do you believe in the God who loves you and will reward those who act wisely and

[1:58:45] justly? There were some people here representing

[1:58:48] the big guys who don't breathe air making comments tonight.

[1:58:54] But the kingdom of God belongs to the little ones. So think of the little

[1:58:58] ones. every small farmer's land, every little child's lungs, kidneys, livers,

[1:59:04] and brains. Please make a decision that is informed.

[1:59:12] This decision should be made to please God and not made in haste. It should be

[1:59:16] done with full knowledge. We need more answers. We need more research. We need

[1:59:20] more time. We need this moratorum. Don't worry about aluminum production.

[1:59:25] Governor Stitz just warned us that President Trump Trump has 20 other

[1:59:30] states just waiting to take this plant on. Let's pray. [applause] Let's pray

[1:59:35] though. Let's pray that these states will be

[1:59:39] wise enough not to put it where there's people, children, animals, or hay. So,

[1:59:46] dear mayor, please and council be assured of all of our prayers. We know

[1:59:51] this is tough. We've been fasting and praying for months and we're not going

[1:59:55] to stop. God bless you. >> Thank you.

[1:59:59] [applause] [cheering]

[2:00:07] » Number 32, please. 32. [applause]

[2:00:17] Good evening, Mayor and uh council members. Uh my name is Alexandra Hunt.

[2:00:22] I've been a resident here for a year today actually. Um I'm blessed to be

[2:00:26] here and I don't have all of my comments formally prepared, but as far as the

[2:00:34] information has come to me about the pollutants that are going to enter this

[2:00:39] area, um I think that

[2:00:43] what I have learned from the Bible is that we have a right to steward our

[2:00:48] animals and our land and our families. And I don't think this um aluminum

[2:00:53] smelter as it's been proposed um by the EPA application would be pleasing. I

[2:01:02] think that we can I don't know about we we it it can be done better. We need

[2:01:07] time we need a moratorum to figure out how it can be done better. Maybe not not

[2:01:12] at all but better. Um, also, um, I've spoken at the

[2:01:17] Oklahoma Corporation Commission, uh, meeting twice now, once in person, uh,

[2:01:22] in Oklahoma City and then once on Zoom. And the reality is that PSO has 500,000

[2:01:28] customers. And, um, the proposed aluminum smelter is going to need a

[2:01:34] power plant the size of Boston uh, in order to run it. And the cheap power is

[2:01:40] very likely going to come from those 500,000 five I'm sorry 500,000

[2:01:44] residents. Um 58 out of a hundred of them couldn't pay their electric bills

[2:01:50] in 2024 and got their electricity shut off. So that's 58 out of 100 customers.

[2:01:58] So it's like I think 280 or something like thousand customers. Um, so

[2:02:05] it may provide a thousand people with good jobs, maybe provide 10,000 people

[2:02:10] with good jobs. And it will not be out of the selling of aluminum. Part of it

[2:02:18] will be from the cheap power that other Oklahomaans are providing. And when that

[2:02:23] power goes up or sorry cost for the power goes up then Oklahoma businesses

[2:02:28] their increase specifically be 22% um on their energy costs um and

[2:02:37] excuse [clears throat] me uh they will those costs are going to end up getting

[2:02:42] passed on. So everything's already going up and unfortunately while it may

[2:02:46] provide could could provide a great living for for some people, I'm just not

[2:02:51] sure this is the best economic development for Oklahoma. That is all.

[2:02:55] Thank you all very much. God bless you. We're praying for you. [applause]

[2:03:06] » Okay, number 33, please.

[2:03:19] Good evening. Uh my name is Luke Cely and I'm a resident by Nola. We moved

[2:03:23] here about four years ago and one of the things that brought us here was the

[2:03:28] beauty of this great city. Um I'm asking you my neighbors and town trustees to

[2:03:35] have the courage to do right by your fellow Inolans.

[2:03:39] I urge you to issue the moratorum. If you are afraid of the OPA, don't be

[2:03:44] since they lack the grounds to sue this town because they've misrepresented this

[2:03:48] project from the start. They promised us the latest, cleanest technology.

[2:03:54] Uh we heard earlier about just how clean the plant was in Abu Dhabi. Uh I wonder

[2:03:59] what part of it was clean. Was it the bathrooms? Um, I do like a good

[2:04:03] bathroom, but but the air permit shows OPA plans to emit 30% more fluoride per

[2:04:08] ton than its own smelter in the UAE and 50% more than a modern plant in

[2:04:14] Norway. The cleaner technology exists. They've simply chosen not to use it

[2:04:19] here. They promise no harm to our farms and families, yet they want to emit 425

[2:04:25] tons of fluoride a year. Studies from Canada to Australia show that far

[2:04:29] smaller amounts already sick in livestock and poison the soil. We should

[2:04:33] expect worse. You've heard the specific numbers from those studies from other

[2:04:37] residents. Now, OPA points to the Constitution and property rights. So

[2:04:42] will I. The Constitution protects my freedom to use my land just as much as

[2:04:47] it protects my neighbor to use theirs. It does not give my neighbor the right

[2:04:51] to poison my land when using his. If this smelter kept its waste on its own

[2:04:56] land, we wouldn't be here. But it can't. And here's the thing. We all want

[2:05:03] American aluminum. No one is disputing that. There isn't a single person in

[2:05:09] this room who is not a patriot. At least I would assume so. We're all here and

[2:05:13] we're all fighting in a local government forum. Um, participation in local

[2:05:19] government uh is what it means to be American.

[2:05:25] Um, the Aluminum Association found that restarting our existing smelters would

[2:05:30] be cleaner, cheaper, and faster than building this one. Real national

[2:05:35] security means Americanowned production that doesn't destroy American farmland.

[2:05:39] You have competing goods. Why not find a place where they don't compete? Why

[2:05:44] trample local rights when there are viable alternatives? So, I'm asking for

[2:05:49] a moratorum. We still don't know the truck traffic, the fire response, the

[2:05:53] waste plan, or where the power comes from for a plant that needs as much

[2:05:57] electricity as the city of Boston. If this project were as good as we're told,

[2:06:02] they wouldn't need threats and secret meetings.

[2:06:06] Please represent the people who actually live here. Thank you. [applause]

[2:06:11] » Thank you.

[2:06:20] » [applause]

[2:06:22] » Thank you all for your comments and your concerns. We're going to move on to

[2:06:26] number three, please. That's the presentation and discussion related to

[2:06:31] the process of obtaining required environmental permits for the purpose of

[2:06:37] aluminum smelter at the port of Iola. And before we do that, before we go to

[2:06:42] that presentation, if you have the green dot,

[2:06:48] okay, I'm going to ask you to come up number one, please, and make your

[2:06:53] comment on, >> please.

[2:06:57] » I kind of want to see their presentation.

[2:07:01] » How do you think? >> You know what? I agree with you. Let's

[2:07:05] do the presentation first. >> Thank you.

[2:07:10] Sorry. Let's do that presentation, please.

[2:07:15] Number three, EPA and ODQ representatives.

[2:07:47] Good evening.

[2:07:52] » Good evening >> and thank you for the opportunity to

[2:07:55] speak with you tonight. My name is Melanie McGee and I'm the acting air

[2:08:00] permitting, monitoring, and grants branch manager for the US Environmental

[2:08:05] Protection Agency and Region 6 office headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

[2:08:12] I'm here this evening to explain EPA's role in the Oklahoma Department of

[2:08:18] Environmental Quality or ODQ air permitting process for the proposed

[2:08:24] aluminum smelter project. We believe that the states are best

[2:08:30] positioned to identify their air quality needs and to implement the clean air act

[2:08:37] requirements directly. Under EPA administrator Zeldon, the EPA

[2:08:44] has worked to align itself so that it fully meets its statutory obligations

[2:08:50] while also supporting rather than restricting states on permitting. In

[2:08:57] short, we view this as a partnership, one in which EPA allows states

[2:09:04] states to address issues at the state level wherever the law permits.

[2:09:11] The Clean Air Act establishes a framework and this framework is to

[2:09:15] protect human health and the environment and this is through the implementation

[2:09:20] of the national air quality standards while also giving states the freedom to

[2:09:27] work within it when followed correctly. In the early 1980s,

[2:09:33] Oklahoma submitted to EPA a plan outlining how it would implement the

[2:09:39] Clean Air Act requirements. Following EPA's approval of that plan,

[2:09:45] the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality became the air permitting agency

[2:09:51] responsible for implementing and enforcing the state's air quality

[2:09:56] programs. As the permitting authority, ODEQ is

[2:10:02] responsible for issuing permits for air emission sources in Oklahoma with the

[2:10:08] exception of certain areas in on Indian lands.

[2:10:12] EPA's role in turn is to support the Oklahoma Department of Environmental

[2:10:18] Quality by providing technical assistance,

[2:10:22] developing national rulemaking, and ensuring the state's programs remain

[2:10:27] upto-date and in compliance with the latest Clean Air Act requirements.

[2:10:34] The roles are no different for the proposed aluminum smelter project.

[2:10:40] Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is the permitting authority and

[2:10:45] EPA is here in in supporting role as the state works through their air permitting

[2:10:52] process. An air permit is a complex legal

[2:10:57] document that establishes and outlines the requirements and emission limits

[2:11:03] that a facility must meet under its specific Clean Air Act obligation.

[2:11:09] including the national ambient air quality

[2:11:13] standards. Before a permit can be issued, the

[2:11:17] company must submit a complete application and the Oklahoma Department

[2:11:22] of Environmental Quality in this case must then conduct a thorough review.

[2:11:28] This review includes both the technical aspects as well and opportunity for

[2:11:34] public participation, which is where you all come in. I understand that tonight's

[2:11:40] issue is very important for all of you and I so want to emphasize that no

[2:11:46] permitting decision will be made until there has been public participation and

[2:11:51] the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has reviewed your comments

[2:11:57] for a full and complete transparency of the proposed aluminum smelter project.

[2:12:04] The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has created a project web page

[2:12:09] with detailed information, a project timeline, and options to receive

[2:12:15] updates. As highlighted on their web page

[2:12:19] timeline, a 30-day public notice and comment period will be provided before a

[2:12:27] permitting decision is made by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental

[2:12:31] Quality. The dates of the comment period will be announced upon or shortly after

[2:12:37] publication of the proposal. When a final decision is made, a response to

[2:12:43] comments received during the 30-day public comment period will also be

[2:12:49] provided. We encourage you to participate in this process and to

[2:12:55] monitor their website for updates. You can also sign up for project

[2:12:59] notifications. Thank you again for the opportunity to

[2:13:03] explain the air permitting process and the EPA will continue our supporting

[2:13:08] role to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality as they move

[2:13:13] through their permitting process and work towards a final permitting

[2:13:17] decision. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[2:13:21] [applause]

[2:13:32] Good evening, Madame Mayor and Town Trustees. I'm Madison Miller, uh the

[2:13:35] deputy executive director with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental

[2:13:38] Quality, or DEEQ. DEEQ was asked to be here to describe where we are in the

[2:13:43] permitting process for the proposed aluminum smelter.

[2:13:46] Currently, the only permit application DEEQ has received for the proposed

[2:13:50] aluminum smelter is an air quality PSD construction permit. and PSD stands for

[2:13:55] prevention of significant deterioration. Um, it's a statutory term. You'll hear

[2:13:58] me say it a couple of times while I go through this. The permit application was

[2:14:03] received on February 9th, 2026 and is undergoing technical review by DEEQ

[2:14:07] permitting staff. DEEQ rather than EPA, as you just heard, is the permitting

[2:14:12] authority in this instance because DEEQ has been delegated program authority

[2:14:15] from EPA and DEEQ and EPA work together on a regular basis with EPA providing

[2:14:20] oversight of the federal programs and support to the state and DEEQ providing

[2:14:24] local implementation of those programs. As an initial matter, I want to point

[2:14:28] out so that it's really clear that DEEQ doesn't have the authority in statute to

[2:14:33] decide where a proposed facility will be located. DEEQ has the responsibility to

[2:14:38] ensure all environmental requirements are met prior to the construction and

[2:14:42] operation of the facility. And in doing so, DEEQ is committed to going above and

[2:14:47] beyond to ensure the public is fully informed. The current permitting law

[2:14:51] requires only that the permit application be placed somewhere in the

[2:14:53] county where it can be viewed for public inspection. This means that the

[2:14:57] application could be obscurely placed somewhere in the public library or some

[2:15:00] similar place. But in this instance, DEEQ is requiring that all relevant

[2:15:04] documents related to the proposed smelter, not just the application, be

[2:15:08] posted on the DEEQ website in DEEQ's online permitting docket. Further, we

[2:15:12] have created a dedicated web page just for the proposed smelter and have

[2:15:15] created an online list serve sign up through which citizens can sign up to

[2:15:19] receive notifications about the project. It's important to DEEQ that the public

[2:15:23] has the this information in an easily accessible way.

[2:15:27] DQ's objectives are to one, implement the PSD permitting program in accordance

[2:15:32] with all statutory and regulatory requirements. Two, engage citizens by

[2:15:36] making technical and administrative aspects of the permit process more

[2:15:39] accessible to the public than the law presently requires. And three, uphold

[2:15:43] DEEQ's mission to protect human health and the environment. I want to detail

[2:15:47] the efforts DEEQ has taken to engage citizens on the smelter. D. Hughes

[2:15:51] executive director along with myself and other key staff members on two different

[2:15:55] occasions in April of 2026 drove to Inola upon request to meet with small

[2:15:59] groups of concerned citizens in the Inola area including state lawmakers.

[2:16:04] DEEQ held a two and a half hour public process meeting in this very room on

[2:16:07] April 23rd, 2026 during which DEEQ detailed the PSD permitting process and

[2:16:12] received questions from the public. DEQ also attended an agricultural round

[2:16:16] table in Mohal, Oklahoma, where DEQ discussed aspects of the permitting

[2:16:19] process with Iola area farmers and ranchers as well as state lawmakers and

[2:16:23] members of Congress. Regarding future activity, DEEQ has informed the public

[2:16:28] that prior to the issuance of a draft permit, DEEQ will hold two public

[2:16:32] meetings that are not required by law to detail the technical aspects of the

[2:16:35] permit. One meeting to go over best available control technology, which I'll

[2:16:39] explain in a second, and another meeting to go over modeling. When we get to the

[2:16:44] point when a draft permit is published, the 30-day public comment period will

[2:16:47] commence and DEEQ will hold another public meeting where comments will be

[2:16:50] received. And I want to mention since we've been

[2:16:54] talking about data, these last three meetings that I just spoke about are

[2:16:57] where we will present data that's being considered in the permit that DEQ has

[2:17:01] based decisions on. My remarks are general right now um because we're going

[2:17:06] through the process. It's not a predetermined process and we're

[2:17:09] currently in uh at the evaluation of the permit.

[2:17:12] So, what does DEEQ's air quality PSD evaluation look like? DEEQ's evaluation

[2:17:17] is focused on the environmental impacts of the proposed facility in the location

[2:17:20] where it is proposed. But like I said, DEQ is not authorized under the Clean

[2:17:24] Air Act or any other law to decide where a facility will be located. The PSD

[2:17:29] permitting process is a prescribed process by statute and regulation under

[2:17:33] [snorts] the state and federal clean air acts and associated PSD regulations.

[2:17:38] NDEQ is currently working through that process. So I want to give just a quick

[2:17:43] reiteration of DEEQ's presentation at the process meeting on April 23rd um to

[2:17:48] explain what the four elements or prongs of PSD are. So the first is the best

[2:17:53] available control technology or BACT. This is a top- down analysis of control

[2:17:58] technologies meaning we're looking at the most effective control technology

[2:18:01] first and determining if it is both technically feasible and cost-effective

[2:18:05] as required by law. Second is we're looking the impacts to

[2:18:09] class one areas. So we're required to look at federally protected lands

[2:18:13] referred to as class one areas. And the class one areas that are potentially

[2:18:17] implicated uh by this proposed project include Ky Creek in Arkansas, the upper

[2:18:22] Buffalo in Arkansas, and Hercules Glade in Missouri. And we work with federal

[2:18:26] partners to evaluate the impacts on those protected areas.

[2:18:30] The third prong is modeling. And this element of PSD requires the use of

[2:18:35] computer modeling to evaluate how the proposed facility will impact the

[2:18:38] national ambient air quality standards known as knacks in the location where it

[2:18:43] is proposed. The goal is to protect the airheds ability to continue to attain

[2:18:47] those standards. So we look at whether the facility would cause or contribute

[2:18:51] to a violation of the knacks and how the facility would affect the increment or

[2:18:55] the amount of pollution the area is allowed to increase under the Clean Air

[2:18:59] Act. And there's some interplay here with the control technologies used

[2:19:03] because if the modeling shows there would be a contribution to a violation

[2:19:06] of the NAX or that the facility would exceed the allowed increment DEEQ would

[2:19:10] not be able to issue the permit without uh changes to the facility's emissions

[2:19:15] either through controls or sizing of the facility etc.

[2:19:19] So the fourth prong is additional impacts and the PSD rules require the

[2:19:25] applicant to provide an analysis of the impairment to visibility soils and

[2:19:31] vegetation that would occur as a result of the source and general commercial

[2:19:35] residential industrial and other growth associated with the source.

[2:19:40] This part is really important to DQ and to the community. The rule states, and

[2:19:46] it's written a little backwards, um, so bear with me. It states that the

[2:19:50] applicant need not provide an analysis of the impact on vegetation having no

[2:19:54] significant commercial or recreational value. So, in other words, this

[2:19:59] evaluation of vegetation happens only if the vegetation has significant

[2:20:03] commercial or recreational value. It's obvious that in this community of Bola

[2:20:08] and the surrounding area, there is absolutely vegetation with significant

[2:20:11] commercial and or recreational value. DEQ announced this um at the April

[2:20:17] process meeting that to address this requirement, the company is conducting

[2:20:21] an evaluation of the proposed facilities impacts on the soils and vegetation in

[2:20:26] the areas that are determined to have significant commercial and/or

[2:20:29] recreational value, including what the impacts of fluoride would be to grazing

[2:20:33] livestock. DEEQ will then conduct a comprehensive review of this submitt.

[2:20:38] So DEEQ fully recognizes the community's concerns about fluoride emissions from

[2:20:42] the proposed smelter and their potential impacts to grazing grasses and therefore

[2:20:46] to grazing livestock. So to reiterate, the impacts of fluoride emissions from

[2:20:50] the proposed smelter are being considered and evaluated to the full

[2:20:53] extent to which DEEQ is legally authorized to consider it and the

[2:20:57] results of this evaluation will be fully presented and discussed at one of the

[2:21:00] future DEEQ public meetings that I mentioned. The PSD permitting process

[2:21:04] requires months of thoughtful analysis and engineering calculations. The

[2:21:08] evaluation is iterative, meaning that DEEQ will continue to request

[2:21:11] supplemental information from the applicant until all of DEEQ's questions

[2:21:15] are answered. It's crucial to understand that DEEQ operates under both statutory

[2:21:19] authority and statutory limitations, but the DEEQ is using all the tools provided

[2:21:23] under the Clean Air Act to ensure the maximum protections are achieved that

[2:21:27] DEEQ is authorized to require. Thank you.

[2:21:30] » Thank you.

[2:21:34] » [applause] >> Okay, if you have the green dot and

[2:21:38] you're number one, please come up with your comment.

[2:21:44] Thank you, mayor. Before my time starts, can I ask a point of clarification? I

[2:21:48] know we talked at the beginning, I have to address you since they presented. Can

[2:21:52] it be questions that they can participate in answering or is it only

[2:21:55] questions directed to you all as the council?

[2:21:58] » It's really just questions to the mayor. >> Okay. to the questions to the mayor. Not

[2:22:03] I can't ask them things that you they would have to

[2:22:06] » I ask them to answer. >> Okay. Go ahead.

[2:22:11] » Okay. So, just to you that's fine. Um it informs how I'm going to ask these

[2:22:14] questions. So, I love that they came here. Really appreciate DEEQ coming yet

[2:22:20] again. Madison did a great job in the process meeting. No complaints there.

[2:22:23] They have been more than helpful like she mentioned um with the executive

[2:22:27] director showing up here to meet with people. Phenomenal. [snorts] really

[2:22:30] appreciate their support. What I'm confused on from this whole agenda item

[2:22:37] point is what bearing does that have for you in a temporary moratorum?

[2:22:42] I am very confused. Why would we say this is an iterative process? They're

[2:22:46] still taking time. They don't have anything. Man, we're not even at the

[2:22:49] back to review all these other steps. Yet, they want you to say that you would

[2:22:55] be willing to give them a building permit tomorrow. Why? That doesn't make

[2:22:59] sense. If the process is still ongoing, okay, pass a temporary moratorum until

[2:23:05] the process is complete. This makes no sense to try to convince you that, oh,

[2:23:11] the process is going to be taken care of. Don't worry while we rush ahead.

[2:23:14] That doesn't seem to meet the same standards that they're asking for you

[2:23:18] guys to rush ahead with. >> Okay.

[2:23:20] » Um I think that this just helps support the reason we need this moratorum. Like

[2:23:26] they said, in fact, as both from the EPA and ODQ, fluoride is an extra addition.

[2:23:34] That is an extra step that they not they wouldn't normally have to take, which

[2:23:38] should signal to all of us that this is an unusual project that deserves time

[2:23:46] for review and scrutiny. I don't think anyone here has disagreed with the fact

[2:23:50] that we know there's going to be requirements and regulations and

[2:23:54] calculations done to see that. No one has been presented that information. So

[2:23:59] when the only information we have is 425 tons per year of fluoride and a heck of

[2:24:04] a lot more of other things like thousands of tons of particulate and

[2:24:08] hundreds of thousands of tons of CO and I mean there's just the permit goes on a

[2:24:12] lot more than 425 tons of fluoride. That information is all we have. So,

[2:24:18] promises from the company that they will do better. Like they said, the permit's

[2:24:22] the legal document. If you're going to do better, submit that. Put that in the

[2:24:28] permit application to DEEQ and stand by what you're going to claim. I I really

[2:24:33] don't understand and I don't think that this should have bearing on your vote

[2:24:36] tonight because in fact it should support your vote because it just helps

[2:24:41] clarify why you need more time and why you all should not be making this

[2:24:46] decision. It should be with the support and the full knowledge of every other

[2:24:51] institution that can prove that this is safe for this community which no one

[2:24:55] has. >> So I appreciate it. Thank you.

[2:24:58] » Thank you. [applause]

[2:25:06] Number two. >> Number two,

[2:25:11] guys. First of all, I just want to thank you um commissioners. I think you guys

[2:25:15] are all volunteer. I don't think you're even getting paid. A lot of

[2:25:18] responsibility, a lot of stress. I know you're trying your best. I just

[2:25:24] personally want to thank you. Um guys in in April when the ODC came in um I I was

[2:25:30] horrified. Uh is because my questions that I ask is what horrified me. Uh and

[2:25:36] number one was that ODC is not performing any study. There's no

[2:25:41] scientists with ODC on their chest that are performing a study. ODC isn't

[2:25:46] commissioning a they're not paying for a study. It's all EGA that's performing

[2:25:51] the study and handing it for review. That is so different than performing a

[2:25:57] study yourself. I mean the motivations of the people making that study their

[2:26:01] paycheck is being paid by EGA. So that really hurt my heart uh and gave

[2:26:08] me great concern. Uh second at in April there was no study on any kind of

[2:26:14] accumulation in our soils which is our greatest concern. I was very happy to

[2:26:18] hear that's been added. uh and and there was no study on our vegetation which

[2:26:22] also you know very important to us. Unfortunately both those studies if I

[2:26:26] understand her right is still performed by EGA not by any kind of scientist paid

[2:26:32] by ODC u or the EPA either one and by the way on any of these I really hope

[2:26:39] I'm wrong like I really hope she comes up and shows me the fool because I want

[2:26:44] them to be wrong. We are vulnerable right now from what I can tell

[2:26:50] to be polluted immensely with no recourse, with no knowledge, with no

[2:26:55] monitoring, nothing. Um, also from the April meeting,

[2:27:00] EPA, the OGA, excuse me, OPA, the United Arab Emirates are responsible for their

[2:27:07] own monitoring. So, from what I understood, ODC is not

[2:27:11] doing any monitoring. We're not doing any monitoring. It's all the poller

[2:27:16] himself self-monitoring from that. If the poller himself sees

[2:27:22] that, oh, I polluted, it's his responsibility to report. It's his own

[2:27:26] self-reporting. And like we've discussed before, do we

[2:27:31] trust these folks from across the world to worry about us and actually be honest

[2:27:36] in their self-reporting? I really hope that's wrong. And that's something some

[2:27:40] of some of you council members, we've talked about. We've got to have a way to

[2:27:44] be measuring ourselves, not relying on the poller himself doing the the u the

[2:27:50] measuring. Um from that April meeting, safety

[2:27:54] concerns from other states from Century Aluminum's other smelters were to not be

[2:27:59] considered whatsoever in our permitting. Now, that seemed crazy to me. Uh but

[2:28:05] that's what I understand that uh they said was going to happen.

[2:28:09] Um, I guess I'm done. Thank you.

[2:28:13] » Thank you, sir. [applause]

[2:28:17] Okay, this is number four. Okay, we're going to move on to pres uh

[2:28:24] item number four, presentation and discussion related to the quest

[2:28:30] moratorum on all permits, approvals, entitlements, physical or administrative

[2:28:36] advancements of constit construction of facilities within the industrial heavy

[2:28:43] district and other matters related to the proposed aluminum plant.

[2:28:49] sir. >> Yes, ma'am.

[2:28:52] » Thank you. >> You're welcome.

[2:28:54] » Um I'm impressed with these kids. Um they've been been very good. Um

[2:29:02] this is a tough thing and I I say that just because you guys are stuck in the

[2:29:08] middle of this thing and I' I've heard I've heard fear being

[2:29:13] pressed from this side. I hear a lot of people that are scared from this side.

[2:29:20] and you guys have an obligation. Um, we're here in Rogers County. I thought

[2:29:25] it would be appropriate to provide you a statement from Will Rogers of all people

[2:29:30] to the county. His dad is the basis for the name of this county, right?

[2:29:36] Will said he thought it was nature he was living off of, but it was really

[2:29:40] future generations that he was living off of. You guys have an obligation

[2:29:46] to make sure that whatever goes forward here, you're protecting for future

[2:29:51] generations. Will we Will said it 100 plus years ago, still true today.

[2:29:58] Despite the propaganda we've heard from this side, despite the fear, despite

[2:30:02] everybody seeming to be scared that this thing isn't going to go forward, this

[2:30:06] moratorum doesn't stop the smelter from going forward.

[2:30:10] The draft, as it said, simply gives the town a seat at the table.

[2:30:17] Y'all deserve a seat at the table. Out of anybody anywhere, you are going to be

[2:30:22] the most affected both positively and negatively

[2:30:28] to I I saw the letters that were sent from the OPA. I saw the letters that

[2:30:33] were sent from the port authority.

[2:30:37] I grew up in Malgi, Oklahoma. I went to Preston High School. We we played Inola

[2:30:42] a few times. I played Mr. Grigg when he was the coach at Talqua Sequoa. Um

[2:30:49] I understand [snorts] what it's like to be in Oklahoma. I understand these

[2:30:53] people that are here that stand up and say, "Look,

[2:30:56] you you try to press us into something, we're going to we're going to fight

[2:30:59] back." You guys have the ability to say, "Look, we're going to make certain that

[2:31:06] it's safe." And I think I think you have more than the ability, you have the

[2:31:09] obligation, but you have to pass this moratorum.

[2:31:13] Ultimately,

[2:31:16] this thing is not drafted in a way that removes any power or rights from the

[2:31:25] smelter, assuming that they can move forward, qualify with all the ODQ

[2:31:29] permits, which are still pending. I mean, they're only on number one. Um, I

[2:31:33] think they've got three or four more to um, even get to propose.

[2:31:39] I put a binder in front of you guys. Um, before this meeting started,

[2:31:48] this moratorum as it's drafted gives a six-month kind of lead time.

[2:31:54] The city council has the ability to at any any time after the moratorum starts.

[2:31:59] You fix the zoning issue require permitting which allows for you to have

[2:32:04] a affirmative effective say in the other things that are going to occur around

[2:32:10] this town. Do you have a copy Mr. Dyer? >> I think it's the one you provided

[2:32:15] before. >> Yeah.

[2:32:19] But the fact that these letters that have been sent from the OPA and the port

[2:32:22] authority try to strongarm you into saying no, you can't pass this

[2:32:25] moratorium now. It's it's just disingenuous. I printed off a copy. It's

[2:32:30] it's number two of your your binder that's in front of you today.

[2:32:35] Final approver final approvals and site work don't plan to begin

[2:32:41] pursuant to OPA's own website until year in 2026.

[2:32:46] So you pass this moratorum. It's got a six-month lead time on it. If you fix

[2:32:51] the zoning issue, very simply, um, require them to provide a permit, then

[2:32:56] you're going to have a say. You're going to have a seat at the table.

[2:33:01] I've heard nothing from any of the pros prosmelter group. I've heard nothing

[2:33:06] from the anti-smelter group that says that y'all shouldn't have a seat at the

[2:33:11] table. In fact, I think that's what all of the citizens from Iola are here

[2:33:15] demanding. >> [applause]

[2:33:22] [applause]

[2:33:26] » This ordinance does not stop any of the permits.

[2:33:30] It directs a review. It allows the town council to participate in a review to

[2:33:35] different things that are going to show up because I've been looped in for not

[2:33:40] very long at this point and it's very hard to find out exactly what the plans

[2:33:45] are other than tons of jobs, tons of economic benefit to the area.

[2:33:51] How this actually is going to affect the city of Iola, I can't find.

[2:33:58] Maybe that's been discussed with some of y'all. It should be available. um

[2:34:03] through some actual demonstrable basis in a public meeting such as this for you

[2:34:09] guys to understand and decide

[2:34:14] to the extent that this moratorum is passed. It's neutral in its face. It's

[2:34:19] not favorable to anybody. It's not favorable to the city. It's not

[2:34:23] favorable to the smelter. It simply says the city council gets to sit there and

[2:34:29] make a decision about what is best for the city and its citizens.

[2:34:35] The ordinance does not permanently ban any use. It does not tell any company

[2:34:39] that they can never build here. [snorts] It does not, despite the

[2:34:45] letters, exposed the town to a claim for regulatory taking. I believe that. I

[2:34:51] believe that's just a threat. It's more fear being pressed upon the city.

[2:34:57] This is simply a pause. Gives you the the ability to deliberate.

[2:35:05] And if at any point OPA, EGA,

[2:35:11] the port, ODQ, these people show up and they tell you, "Hey, this is all of the

[2:35:17] information that we have." And you all as the elected officials on behalf of

[2:35:23] the town's people here get to see it and say, "Yeah, you know what?

[2:35:29] I think it can be safe. I think it's not going to affect the people around us."

[2:35:34] then you get to approve it. You can you can overturn the moratorum a month from

[2:35:39] now if you want to. If you decide that that's the right thing to do.

[2:35:44] The people that are here that voted for you guys

[2:35:48] put their trust in you to do the right thing to protect them.

[2:35:53] Everybody here that lives within some reasonable distance of this smelter is

[2:35:59] concerned and rightfully so. Um, ODQ has not finished any potential proposals.

[2:36:07] They haven't I addressed any permits. Nothing is licensed yet. All anybody

[2:36:12] here can see is potential damage to them.

[2:36:16] They put their trust in you to make the right decision as far as whether it can

[2:36:22] safely go forward or not. Now, one thing that is really concerning

[2:36:29] to me for the city and why I think um a really hard look should be um pressed

[2:36:36] upon whether the moratorum should go forward and whether the smelter should

[2:36:41] go forward at all.

[2:36:45] I've heard at previous meetings, discussions about pitcher just up the

[2:36:48] road, one of the largest super fun sites ever to exist. Um, I want to say the

[2:36:55] estimated total cleanup was 600 billion. They don't really know because they

[2:36:59] can't clean it up. >> It's It's true.

[2:37:03] » They've had to abandon the town. If you're not from Oklahoma, you

[2:37:08] wouldn't know that.

[2:37:12] » We we we have multiple instances of aluminum smelters in the country.

[2:37:28] Sir, you want to use this one?

[2:37:46] » We're good. >> We're good.

[2:37:50] So, I've got a smelter in Vancouver there. They discovered that there was a

[2:37:55] variety of contamination in um 1973. As of 1990, um there was a super fun

[2:38:04] site that was dedicated that was never affirmatively cleaned up.

[2:38:08] Uh there's a there there was a Kaiser me smelter that

[2:38:15] occurred in um Spokane, Washington. It was listed on the super fund site

[2:38:23] from potliners being left and ineffective cleanup. It was listed in

[2:38:30] 1983, the year that I was born, 42 years ago. And guess what? It's still an

[2:38:36] active ongoing super fund. site. We've got the SEFAC, Columbia Falls, Montana

[2:38:41] Super Fund site. So far, they have committed um 57.5 million just to

[2:38:48] containment with an expected $1.4 billion to

[2:38:53] completely remediate that. That that's as of 2016. It's still not done.

[2:38:59] Reynolds Metals in Troutdale, Oregon, was listed on the Super Fund site in

[2:39:04] 1994, only 32 years ago. It's still active

[2:39:08] ongoing as a potential cleanup site. Um

[2:39:15] the last one that I have that and these are just aluminum smelters that they

[2:39:19] have turned into super fun sites. um they polluted the the bay in Lvaka,

[2:39:26] Texas and um it it ultimately has been removed from the super fund site but

[2:39:33] because from the super fund list but because of uh

[2:39:37] because of the inability to ultimately complete it. The problem with most of

[2:39:41] these sites is that the entity that is developed and operating the aluminum

[2:39:47] smelter files bankruptcy. And you know who's left holding the bag?

[2:39:54] The taxpayers. And unfortunately, the city of Iola um

[2:40:01] can't afford a 1.4 billion clean up. In fact,

[2:40:07] if you don't do something to protect the citizens here, and a church without

[2:40:12] people isn't a church, a city without people isn't a city either.

[2:40:20] I can't say that the technology that they're representing isn't the best and

[2:40:25] greatest technology and that these things will happen or will not happen. I

[2:40:29] can't say that. I'll be I'll be forthright with you guys. I'll talk

[2:40:33] about what I I can certainly say.

[2:40:38] I can certainly say that you deserve a seat at the table.

[2:40:42] You're the most effective party. I can certainly say that I find the

[2:40:48] letters threatening you guys to be totally disingenuous and the most

[2:40:52] opposite of an Oklahoma neighborly thing that I've seen in a long time. And I see

[2:40:57] terrible things on a daily basis. It's gross to me. If the port wants to

[2:41:03] be a good neighbor for you guys, they should show up and say, "Yeah, we agree

[2:41:06] with you. We want to make it safe and we're going to show you where

[2:41:11] [applause]

[2:41:18] And we're going to show you how and why you can rely on us and we can be a good

[2:41:24] neighbor. Because that's what we do in Oklahoma. When somebody's cows get out,

[2:41:28] guess what? We go help clean them up and put them back.

[2:41:40] The White House has taken a position this is good for national defense. It

[2:41:43] very well may be. White House has also taken a position there's 20 other sites.

[2:41:46] If the city of Iola won't approve it for the right spot, this isn't going to harm

[2:41:51] the country. This isn't going to preempt them from putting it elsewhere. If you

[2:41:55] believe in Mr. Trump's Mr. President Trump's

[2:42:00] true social statement that they've got 20 other sides. Yeah. Well, maybe it's

[2:42:04] not right for it to go on anola. It can go somewhere else.

[2:42:08] [applause] [cheering]

[2:42:17] » [applause]

[2:42:19] » So ultimately I'm going to read to you guys

[2:42:23] the statute from which I derive the moratorum draft in part and it's 110

[2:42:32] 11 Oklahoma statutes 43101. I know you guys are not attorneys. It's the tab

[2:42:37] number five in your binder and this this is reiterated throughout

[2:42:43] the moratorum draft and it sets out that for the purpose of promoting health,

[2:42:48] safety, morals or the general welfare of a community. The municipal governing

[2:42:54] body may regulate and restrict the height, number of stories, and size of

[2:42:58] buildings and other structures, the percentage of lot that may be occupied,

[2:43:02] the size of yards, courts, and other open spaces, the density of population,

[2:43:07] and location and use of buildings, structures, and land for trade,

[2:43:11] industry, residents, or any other purpose. This falls under any other

[2:43:16] purpose. You guys have the ability to protect the

[2:43:19] health, welfare, and safety of all the people who live in this town. And that

[2:43:23] is what they are begging you to do

[2:43:28] to the extent that there's questions about the moratorum draft as it sets. I

[2:43:33] am happy to answer them. It's been, as I said at the last meeting, it was

[2:43:38] carefully curated. It was carefully drafted to try to give the city an

[2:43:43] answer to all of the concerns that these citizens have because as I heard from

[2:43:48] about half the people that came up here that are adverse to the smelter, you

[2:43:53] know, we're all in favor of doing what's best

[2:43:58] for America, but

[2:44:02] that has to work in conjunction with doing what's best for our town

[2:44:07] who live here and I and I tried to give you guys the ability to take some

[2:44:13] control over this because you deserve it. The people that live here deserve

[2:44:16] it. [applause]

[2:44:23] [applause]

[2:44:31] Ultimately you have a moral imperative I believe to execute this moratorum.

[2:44:39] If you believe that the people that elected you trusted you to do your job,

[2:44:44] trusted you to step into this position, I've not heard anybody from Iola that

[2:44:50] gave you an address with an Inola basis on it that stood up here and said,

[2:44:55] you know, we're we're all for you striking down this moratorum. No, no,

[2:44:59] they they want you to look out for them. That's all they're asking for. And you

[2:45:03] know what? They've elected you. They trust you. There's so many people here

[2:45:08] that have been together for generations that it doesn't make any sense that they

[2:45:12] wouldn't. But they also have to trust you to be

[2:45:15] able to stand up and say, "You know what? If this isn't best for us, you'll

[2:45:20] try to do something about it. That's your job."

[2:45:25] Um,

[2:45:28] is there any questions

[2:45:32] about the moratorum? >> No.

[2:45:36] I will I will leave you with this quote from Woody Guthrie

[2:45:41] since we're

[2:45:46] he's one of the greatest songwriters in the history of Oklahoma. And he said,

[2:45:49] "Some will rob you with the six gun. Some will rob you with a fountain pen."

[2:45:56] Said, "As through this world you will ramble, you've never seen an outlaw

[2:45:59] drive a family from his home." That's it. Thank you.

[2:46:04] » [applause]

[2:46:13] [applause] >> Okay. If you have the red dot and you're

[2:46:18] number one, you're telling me no. No, no. Okay. How

[2:46:24] about number two? How about number three?

[2:46:30] If you got the red dot, there she comes.

[2:46:46] I'm here on behalf of the rural economic development of Iola, the ready

[2:46:51] committee. And we just wanted to speak up about giving our support when a major

[2:46:56] project like aluminum plant is proposed. It's natural for people to feel

[2:47:00] cautious. We all care deeply about protecting the character and quality of

[2:47:04] life in our community. Aluminina plant represents a significant opportunity not

[2:47:09] just for jobs but for long-term economic stability. That doesn't mean we ignore

[2:47:13] concerns. We can set clear expectations on environmental standards, traffic

[2:47:18] planning, and community impact. We can make sure the plan operates in a way

[2:47:22] that respects the town and aligns with our values. When a town is growing and

[2:47:26] new businesses want to move in, it's almost guaranteed that some people will

[2:47:30] push back. That resistance is normal, but how you respond can make the

[2:47:35] difference between a productive conversation and a community fight. A

[2:47:39] strong response acknowledges concerns without letting negativity dominate the

[2:47:43] narrative. Towns that refuse to grow don't stay the same, they fall behind.

[2:47:48] We deserve better than decline or stagnation. We deserve a future where

[2:47:52] our community is strong, stable, and full of opportunity. So, let's approach

[2:47:56] approach this with open minds and steady leadership. Let's shape today in a way

[2:48:01] that strengthens our town and honors what makes it special. Thank you.

[2:48:05] » Thank you.

[2:48:08] » Number four, please.

[2:48:22] Good evening, council members, and thank you for taking the time to hear and

[2:48:25] consider what all of us have to say today. My name is Matt McKinley. I live

[2:48:28] in Anola with my wife and our seven children where we homestead a mile from

[2:48:32] here. We also have cattle and sheep which are both threatened by this

[2:48:35] smelter. I want to start by reflecting upon why the people who own the aluminum

[2:48:39] plant, shareholders who are based in Chicago and the UAE, chose to try and

[2:48:44] build a smelter in our small town in a place in Oklahoma that most everyone in

[2:48:48] the country has never even heard of. It wasn't because they care about us or

[2:48:51] because they wanted to invest in our town. No, the reason they chose us is

[2:48:55] because they think we're suckers who would be easy to trick and easy to push

[2:48:59] around and would be an easy source of money when they got their polluting

[2:49:02] smelter up and running in a place where they won't have to live next to it.

[2:49:06] There's a lot of anger over this project, the NDA's PR promises for a

[2:49:10] worldclass clean smelter with legal documents that don't promise any of that

[2:49:14] and other backroom dealings that took place to get us here. And I think some

[2:49:18] of it has unfairly been directed at you all, our council members who have not

[2:49:21] had a chance to make a decision on this. That changes tonight. Tonight, you have

[2:49:27] the first real opportunity to show them that you have a backbone. That Inola is

[2:49:32] not suckers or cowards by voting yes on this moratorum. And after you vote yes

[2:49:38] tonight, that's when your real work begins. I don't think I'm alone in

[2:49:41] thinking and expecting that you all have do everything that you have in your

[2:49:45] power to find a way to kill this project. If you determine that it is not

[2:49:49] safe or it is going to harm us or our children or our livestock, we expect and

[2:49:54] demand no compromises and no concessions with these out of state shareholders who

[2:49:59] want to poison our children and collapse our livestock to make some easy money.

[2:50:03] I'm not being hyperbolic with that statement or conjecturing. We know with

[2:50:07] absolute certainty that a smelter like the one being proposed will decimate

[2:50:10] livestock and hay inola based on studied cases around other smelters that have

[2:50:15] pollutant levels less than the proposed smelter here. I have information on

[2:50:20] these livestock collapses and the required coings which I'll give to you

[2:50:24] after my talk. Now let's suppose that you have you do everything in your power

[2:50:29] and you discover that hey you can't kill the project. Okay. While I think I speak

[2:50:33] for a lot of people here again when I say that we expect you to never

[2:50:36] compromise or offer concessions with them and do everything in your power to

[2:50:40] force Century Aluminum to build the cleanest, safest smelter in the world

[2:50:44] because all of us here and our children deserve nothing less. There's no

[2:50:48] guesswork or wiggle room about what this entails. There are clean modern smelters

[2:50:55] with alumin with pollutant levels, especially hydroflloride significantly

[2:50:59] less than what is proposed in this smelter. And we expect nothing less than

[2:51:04] that. You represent us and you are dutybound to make sure that that

[2:51:08] happens. They don't get to monitor themselves for pollutants. An

[2:51:12] independent group checks them regularly and their plant must shut down if they

[2:51:16] are in complian until they're in compliance again. We expect you to never

[2:51:20] compromise on this. As far as the shameful conduct from Oklahoma Primary

[2:51:24] Aluminum threatening to sue our town, >> I'm sorry. Your three minutes is up.

[2:51:28] » That was three minutes. >> Yes, sir.

[2:51:30] » Okay. It does. [applause]

[2:51:35] [cheering]

[2:51:43] » Yeah, it's going to be number six, please.

[2:51:47] No, you're not six. >> Okay. So, number five is marked out.

[2:51:53] Okay. And then it's went to number six. >> McKinley.

[2:51:58] » McKinley. Mrs. McKinley. I don't think that's you.

[2:52:03] » Did you change your dress?

[2:52:09] » Not yet. Mrs. McKinley,

[2:52:13] » it you're you're number seven.

[2:52:17] » Okay. So, this is >> You go ahead and go first and then

[2:52:24] » three minutes, please. >> My name is Marie McKinley. I'm from

[2:52:27] Inola. Um, and I just wanted to say there are still too far too many

[2:52:32] unanswered questions. What studies demonstrate that these emissions will

[2:52:36] not harm livestock, uh, crops or local businesses? How many

[2:52:40] trucks will travel through I know each day? Which roads will have to be

[2:52:43] widened? How will hazardous waste from the smelting process be transported and

[2:52:47] disposed of? What is the emergency response plan if there is a major

[2:52:51] industrial fire? Who pays for the specialized equipment and training such

[2:52:55] a facility would require? How frequently will emissions be monitored and where

[2:52:59] will monitoring occur? How will this facility be powered? Will additional

[2:53:02] power generation be required? If so, what are the environmental impacts of

[2:53:06] that generation? These are not minor details. Um, and they should be these

[2:53:11] questions should be answered. They are fundamental questions that deserve

[2:53:14] complete answers before construction proceeds. This project would permanently

[2:53:18] change the character of Anola. For generations, agriculture has been the

[2:53:22] backbone of this community. We are known for our farms, ranches, and open land.

[2:53:26] This proposal would transform into an ind industrial corridor. Whether someone

[2:53:31] supports or opposes that vision is it is unquestionably a decision that deserves

[2:53:35] a thoughtful consideration, not one made under pressure or artificial deadlines.

[2:53:41] I also want to be clear about one point. Many of us support expanding aluminum

[2:53:45] production in the United States. We recognize its importance to

[2:53:49] manufacturing and national security. But supporting domestic aluminum production

[2:53:53] does not require accepting this specific proposal in this specific location.

[2:53:59] Industry organizations themselves have noted that restarting and modernizing

[2:54:04] existing American smelters may offer a cleaner, faster, and less expensive path

[2:54:09] toward increasing domestic production. We should explore the best solution, not

[2:54:13] simply the first one presented. Likewise, protecting American

[2:54:17] agriculture is also a matter of national security. If this facility can be built

[2:54:22] somewhere that does not threaten productive farmland and rural

[2:54:25] communities, then that option deserves serious consideration.

[2:54:30] If this project is as beneficial as OPA and the port have repeatedly claimed,

[2:54:35] then transparency should strengthen their case, not weaken it. Questions

[2:54:40] from citizens should be welcome with complete answers, not met with threats

[2:54:45] of litigation or private meetings that only deepen public distrust. This

[2:54:50] council has one responsibility above all others, to protect the people of Iola. A

[2:54:56] six-month moratorum is not the end of this project. It is simply an

[2:54:59] opportunity to gather facts, answer legitimate questions, and ensure that

[2:55:03] whether whatever decision is ultimately made is based on evidence rather than

[2:55:07] promises. If the answers truly support this project, then six months will have

[2:55:11] changed nothing except increasing public confidence. If the answers reveal

[2:55:16] serious risks, then those six months may save the health, property, and future of

[2:55:22] generations of Iola families. For that reason, I respectfully ask you vote in

[2:55:28] favor of the six-month mortorium. [applause]

[2:55:39] » [applause]

[2:55:44] » Hello again. Still Thomas. Haven't changed. Um I'm starting to regret

[2:55:49] signing up for every time that I could. Uh I'm getting a little hungry, which I

[2:55:53] assume all of us are. I I just kind of wanted to reiterate something that I

[2:55:59] thought was very interesting that I hope all of you recognized, which is out of

[2:56:04] the people tonight who have talked to you, not at you with the pre-written,

[2:56:10] pre-prepared, canned letter from somebody else that they were sent here

[2:56:13] to read and tell you, "This is what my boss told me to come here and tell you."

[2:56:18] » The people who have wanted to talk to you have all said very similar things.

[2:56:23] We want you to have authority. We want you to be able to make decisions. That's

[2:56:31] what the whole idea of the moratorum is. I don't know again if anyone read the

[2:56:38] moratorum that Trevor again explained because its only goal is to give you

[2:56:44] that seat to do this. I'm all for what the ready committee discussed. We all

[2:56:50] want that growth. when they say, "Oh, well, we'll we'll do this. We'll do

[2:56:54] this. We'll do this." You don't have the step to require those things that

[2:57:00] they're saying, "Oh, well, we'll make sure that it's safe." You right now

[2:57:04] can't. You don't have that ability. That's what this moratorum and possibly

[2:57:10] some sort of zoning change would give you. So I I think so far again a lot of

[2:57:15] these proponents of the smelter have been giving you reasons to enact this

[2:57:19] moratorum even if you are for the smelter I don't think there's been a

[2:57:24] disagreement that we want the safe smelter that has never no one has stood

[2:57:29] up on this council and said I want this even if it's unsafe because we are our

[2:57:34] neighbors all of us live here I I don't see why this is incompatible with

[2:57:40] wanting the smelter at The moratorum is temporary. It is in

[2:57:45] line with every other town, city, and municipality that is passing similar

[2:57:49] ordinances and similar requirements that are even longer and more arbitrary.

[2:57:55] And for data centers, data centers are not putting hydrogen fluoride into the

[2:57:59] air. They're not releasing thousands of tons a year of particulate matter. Their

[2:58:03] emissions are so dramatically less and they are not being questioned. I don't

[2:58:08] remember the federal government showing up for the national security issue,

[2:58:12] which is AI and data centers, to speak at all these other town council

[2:58:15] meetings. They're here today because they know that if you have a seat at the

[2:58:20] table, who knows what information you will uncover.

[2:58:25] I think we need to ask ourselves [applause]

[2:58:28] why they're stopping. And I'll leave you with this. They have

[2:58:32] threatened. They have sent these letters that say, "Oh, you're exposed to

[2:58:35] liability." I'll remind you that all of us have the same standing. We may not

[2:58:41] have billions of dollars, but we have the same standing. So if you don't pass

[2:58:45] it, the liability still exists. >> Thank you.

[2:58:48] » Thank you, sir. [applause]

[2:58:56] [applause]

[2:58:58] » Sir, you're number eight. >> I am.

[2:59:03] » Thank you. Darren Blanchard. I live in Mounds Creek

[2:59:07] County. I come here tonight because it's the Oklahoma standard. Uh I want to give

[2:59:13] the mayor and the city council a big thank you for allowing applause and not

[2:59:18] trampling on people's civil rights. We didn't plan this out. [applause]

[2:59:24] Um but Tom spoke before me and he mentioned data centers. They don't need

[2:59:30] representatives from the federal government to come because we have city

[2:59:32] managers that are putting people in jail because they're speaking up and trying

[2:59:36] to protect their community of Green Country. [applause]

[2:59:44] I visit a lot of different communities to talk about poorly planned

[2:59:47] developments, poorly placed developments and I encourage you um to go ahead and

[2:59:53] pass this moratorum because proper planning would give you the city council

[3:00:00] a seat at that table. It's a pattern that we see across the country not just

[3:00:05] Oklahoma. It's lack of planning, poor placement of these projects.

[3:00:09] So again pass the moratorum I see this a question I see this as a question of

[3:00:15] representation

[3:00:18] regardless if it's the data centers or smelter there's this promotion of

[3:00:22] national security and that's true to an extent but

[3:00:28] is it all about national security or is this corporate welfare and crony

[3:00:31] capitalism masquerading itself as national security

[3:00:36] [applause]

[3:00:41] and I've had a few applauses. So, I would like to reclaim some of my time

[3:00:44] when it's when it's due. I am firm in my answer to that question and I hope you

[3:00:49] are too. Uh, I want to talk about the governor who sent one of his goons,

[3:00:55] Derek Sparks, hired onto the staff to quote unquote better the relationship

[3:01:00] with the Oklahoma legislature. He said Tom Gan, that's your elected

[3:01:06] representative, made his eyes bleed. Tom Gan's one of the good ones. I know he's

[3:01:11] reached out to me. [applause]

[3:01:17] If that's how the governor's team thinks about your elected representative, you

[3:01:21] got to ask yourself, what do you think he thinks about you

[3:01:27] and the people of Iola? It's a fair question. We're coming up on

[3:01:32] the 250th birthday of this country. I want to remind you of a date before this

[3:01:37] was a country, December 16th, 1773. The theme for that day was taxation without

[3:01:44] representation. Boston Tea Party. That's why a lot of the people across

[3:01:50] the country, not just Oklahoma, are in a frenzy about some of these developments.

[3:01:54] There's a utility burden that's put onto us. We're having to foot the bill for

[3:01:58] it, and we shouldn't have to. We feel like it's a de facto tax onto us and

[3:02:03] it's not right and we're standing up and defending our property rights and and

[3:02:07] this tax that is put onto us. Thank you for your time.

[3:02:10] » Thank you. [applause]

[3:02:16] [applause]

[3:02:18] » Number nine, please.

[3:02:22] » Good evening. Thank Thank you for uh allowing me to come up here. Um sorry,

[3:02:26] sound nervous, but um my name is Tori Engel. Um, I live in Anola. I've been

[3:02:31] here for four years. Me and my small family. Um, been a lifelong resident

[3:02:36] Maize County and Rogers County. Um, when I I read the letter recently from

[3:02:42] uh the OPA and bit surprised, not too surprised, but I was a bit surprised to

[3:02:48] see that. Um, this isn't just a uh private project.

[3:02:54] It's being backed by it's been mentioned several times $500 million for the from

[3:03:01] the US federal um government and you also have $255 million from the state.

[3:03:08] Um that's funded from taxpayer money. I

[3:03:12] believe as taxpayers in in this room we we should we reserve the right to review

[3:03:17] the risk to the public within a reasonable amount of time.

[3:03:21] um some of those items being reviewed. Obviously, I'm as concerned as anybody

[3:03:25] about the environmental risks. Um HF sounds sounds pretty nasty. Um I don't

[3:03:30] own a farm or anything, but um it it still concerns me with my my one child.

[3:03:37] Um the one thing I want to challenge is

[3:03:41] national sec that's been brought up. If I believe that this project is truly

[3:03:46] important to national security, um I don't believe it makes sense to

[3:03:51] concentrate this one project in one area. And in doing that, you're putting

[3:03:56] all the risk on one single community. Um I believe infrastructure like that would

[3:04:02] be more resilient if you have it spread out. Um and I question if that's been

[3:04:07] considered. Additionally, we know about Truth

[3:04:11] Social. Um, this is the exact quote. The group that's doing it is extraordinarily

[3:04:17] wealthy and if they don't do it in Oklahoma, they have 20 other sites. I

[3:04:22] would love to have them. Again, that's been brought up many times. Um, but

[3:04:26] given the level of public investment, public investment and the availability

[3:04:31] of alternatives, I think it's fair to all the parties to take short amount of

[3:04:35] time to determine whether this project truly fits this community and whether

[3:04:40] the burden is being shared fairly. So, in conclusion, um my intake on the

[3:04:45] letter, the OPA and the smelter project folks are trying to move this project as

[3:04:51] quickly as possible past the political risk zone and into a legally pro

[3:04:56] protected zone. I think uh we should be trying to slow that down and we need to

[3:05:01] otherwise why does the OPA question the public's moratorum? They're certainly

[3:05:07] ready to accept the public's funding. So why shouldn't they accept a brief pause

[3:05:12] to help the public fully understand this project's impact? Thank you.

[3:05:17] [applause] >> Thank you, sir.

[3:05:24] » Number 10. There he is.

[3:05:31] » Good evening, sir. [applause and cheering]

[3:05:40] Good evening, mayor and trustees and citizens of Iola. I stand here tonight

[3:05:45] to speak plainly. The smelter project did not begin with the people. It did

[3:05:50] not begin with open town halls, full disclosure, public consent, or

[3:05:54] neighborto neighbor honesty. It began behind closed doors, secret meetings,

[3:06:00] non-disclosure agreements, and decisions were made before the citizens most

[3:06:04] affected were ever truly brought into the process.

[3:06:08] That is the original problem. The people of I know and the surrounding

[3:06:13] area are not unreasonable. They're not anti-growth. They're not against jobs.

[3:06:18] And they are not against America producing aluminum, but they are against

[3:06:24] being treated like an afterthought in their own hometown.

[3:06:29] They are against being told the fact that the project of this size, this

[3:06:33] risk, and this consequence is already too far along for them to question

[3:06:37] anything and to just be quiet. Now, after months of secrecy, the people have

[3:06:42] been bullied with legal threats for asking questions and for asking for

[3:06:46] time. We've all seen the letters. We've all seen the threat that if Inola acts

[3:06:52] to protect itself, the town could face litigation. We have seen the suggestion

[3:06:57] that property taxes could go up if the town does not stand down. We have seen

[3:07:02] the audacity of a foreign entity to frame local self-government as the

[3:07:07] problem. But let me say this clearly, those

[3:07:11] threats do not weaken the resolve of the people of Iola. It only strengthens

[3:07:17] [applause]

[3:07:21] because when a foreign company and a public authority respond to citizens

[3:07:26] concerns with intimidation, it proves exactly why the people are

[3:07:31] right to be concerned in the first place.

[3:07:35] [applause] >> This project,

[3:07:39] if this project is so safe, so beneficial, so welcome, then why the

[3:07:43] secrecy to begin with? Why the NDAs? Why the urgency? Why the legal threats? The

[3:07:51] citizens of Io are not going to be bullied into silence. They're not going

[3:07:55] to be intimidated out of protecting their homes, their farms, their water,

[3:07:59] their livestock, their children, and their way of life. They are not going to

[3:08:03] surrender their rights because someone else supposedly spent money before

[3:08:07] considering earning the trust of this community. People have rights, too.

[3:08:12] Residential property owners have rights. People parents have rights. Farmers and

[3:08:17] ranchers have rights. And those rights do not disappear because a corporation,

[3:08:22] a port authority, or state and federal officials decide this project was

[3:08:27] convenient. This town council has a duty to the

[3:08:32] people who live here first. Not to foreign ownership interest, not

[3:08:37] to political pressure, not to legal threats, not to economic development pro

[3:08:43] proposals with talking points avoiding substant substantive issues and

[3:08:48] certainly not to those who choose secrecy and now demand our trust.

[3:08:53] » Sir, your three minutes is up, but I'd like for you to go ahead and continue.

[3:08:57] » Thank you. >> Did you have anything else? [applause]

[3:09:01] Did you have anything else?

[3:09:05] Yes, sir.

[3:09:08] » Roll on. >> I'm sorry.

[3:09:13] [laughter] [panting]

[3:09:21] » So ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your kindness this morning or this

[3:09:26] afternoon and evening. The path forward is simple. Protect the people. Protect

[3:09:31] your neighbors. Support the moratorum, demand transparency, require answers

[3:09:36] before action, and do not be afraid of threats from those who should have

[3:09:40] respected the people of this community from the beginning. The people of Iola

[3:09:45] and the surrounding area will prevail because they are standing on the side of

[3:09:50] truth, on god-given property rights, on local control, and on the truly simple

[3:09:57] American principle that government belongs to the people.

[3:10:01] They will not give up. We will not going to back down [applause] and will not be

[3:10:05] intimidated to into surrendering the future of our community. Thank you very

[3:10:09] much. >> Thank you. [applause]

[3:10:11] [cheering]

[3:10:18] [applause]

[3:10:23] Number 11, please. Number 11.

[3:10:29] Mr. Durban, are you still here?

[3:10:35] Calling once. Calling twice. Okay. Uh, how about number 12,

[3:10:42] Mr. Dailyaly? Is that who that is? >> Yes.

[3:10:45] » Yeah. Please.

[3:10:54] » Mayor and trustees, thank you for this opportunity to speak. I want to focus

[3:10:58] tonight on the two letters that we've all talked about already that we

[3:11:01] received, one from OPA and one from Tulsa Ports. Both letters oppose the

[3:11:04] proposed moratorum. I'm here to stand in support of it. Both describe the

[3:11:09] benefits of the project. Both warn in different ways that if I pauses this

[3:11:13] project, there may be serious consequences for our town. These are

[3:11:17] advocacy letters from entities with major financial and institutional

[3:11:20] interest in the project. They're not court orders. They're not neutral legal

[3:11:23] opinions. They're definitely not the final word on Inola's authority or

[3:11:27] responsibility. I'm not here to provide legal advice. We've actually got some of

[3:11:31] it already, but I do want to make three points. First, ODQ's permitting process

[3:11:36] is important. It sounds like it's going to be very thorough, and we should

[3:11:39] participate in it, and we will. But an air permit isn't the same thing as a

[3:11:43] broad local review of infrastructure, public safety, roads, water, sewer,

[3:11:49] storm water, emergency response, agriculture, livestock, housing

[3:11:52] pressure, or the burden on local services. And I purposely listed all

[3:11:56] that because they don't cover it. Second, heavy industrial zoning doesn't

[3:12:00] automatically, as stated in the letters, prove that surrounding communities are

[3:12:05] prepared for what is being called the biggest economic development project in

[3:12:08] Oklahoma history. Third, Tulsa ports points to an $18 million uh that they

[3:12:14] spent on a rail spur and more than $70 million that they spent on a wastewater

[3:12:18] treatment facility. These investments may be valuable no matter what

[3:12:22] industrial user ultimately develops there. But if they spent money before

[3:12:26] all the permits, approvals, and local concerns were resolved, the public

[3:12:30] should ask who assumed that risk. It certainly wasn't Inola.

[3:12:34] [applause]

[3:12:39] Prior spending should not become a claim against Idola, nor a cudgel to surrender

[3:12:44] its local responsibilities. OPA and toll supports both speak as though this

[3:12:49] project is clearly in Iola's best interest. If that's true, they should be

[3:12:53] just as concerned as residents are about the proposed emissions disclosed in the

[3:12:57] ODQ air permit materials and the potential negative impact on downwind

[3:13:01] communities, which you've heard all night. Economic development is

[3:13:04] important. National security is important, but national security does

[3:13:08] not cancel due process. Don't let fear do the work that law, evidence, and

[3:13:14] public process are supposed to do. No one should be able to make Anola's voice

[3:13:18] disappear through pressure, private conversations, or political maneuvering.

[3:13:22] That's the point of the proposed six-month moratorum, to gather

[3:13:25] information needed to understand the risks before Anola is asked to surrender

[3:13:29] its voice, accept the environmental and financial consequences, or treat this

[3:13:33] project decision as if it's already been made. Thank you.

[3:13:37] » Thank you. [applause]

[3:13:44] » Number 13, please.

[3:13:49] Number 13.

[3:13:55] I'm blind. I've already >> Thank you.

[3:14:02] Number 14.

[3:14:08] Is that long? Miss Miss Long >> Shane Shane Long. I'm sorry.

[3:14:20] I'm sorry. You're back up here. Get up here,

[3:14:26] » Mr. Long.

[3:14:30] » All right. Well, the last time I come up here, I asked them to stand up, but if

[3:14:35] you're do not want this here, will you stand up so they can see the support we

[3:14:39] have here? Everybody stand up if you're against the smelter. [applause]

[3:14:44] I mean, numbers shows pretty good. I think there's some in the gym, some

[3:14:48] outside, some that got hungry. Hell, I'm tired. I want to go home and go to bed.

[3:14:51] I know most of you guys do. But I think you need to look at the numbers here and

[3:14:55] the people that don't want this. And you need to take in consideration what we're

[3:15:00] asking for, not just for one. It It's pretty sickening that I know some

[3:15:05] sitting up here who's willing to put this in town and let their family and

[3:15:08] grandkids live around here. I mean, that's that's bad, you know, just like I

[3:15:12] asked that gentleman. I mean, bring your family down here. Move next door to it.

[3:15:16] Man, I'm scared to death. I've got kids and family and you really want this. I

[3:15:22] mean, you want to do that. We're not against jobs coming. I I do want to

[3:15:27] point out one thing. I go in a lot of houses here and see a lot of people and

[3:15:31] I hear this is going to bring jobs. This is going to bring jobs.

[3:15:35] Do you know how many damn houses I go to and none of them work at that paper

[3:15:38] plant? 90% of them are coming from Tulsa or out here. [applause]

[3:15:45] We're not against growth. That's great. But to make our animals and kids sick

[3:15:50] and the kids can't go out on the playground because there's certain

[3:15:53] chemicals in there. I mean, we can't go to Fort Gibson Lake cuz it all ran down

[3:15:57] there and got in the lake. I mean, that's done with. I enjoy fishing. I

[3:16:01] enjoy going to the Vertigus River and fish, but that's going to be gone. But,

[3:16:06] you know, I think you need to think about your future generation and your

[3:16:09] kids living here. If you want to say you're a staple here and four

[3:16:13] generations and this and that. I mean, think think about it. You really want

[3:16:16] your next generations to live with that. Look at these kids sitting up here.

[3:16:21] They're going to have to move. They live down the road from me. As a matter of

[3:16:24] fact, got several neighbors in here. So, and I know some of you sitting up here

[3:16:28] supporting it. That's a neighbor. And that's sick. So, I want to thank all of

[3:16:32] you that stood up and was not embarrassed like the butt puppets. Thank

[3:16:36] you. [applause]

[3:16:46] » Number 15. >> Number 15, please.

[3:16:59] I spoke earlier, but I was told by the lady that I should keep my spot, and I'm

[3:17:02] glad I did. First, I want to say my children have been sitting down since

[3:17:06] 9:00 a.m. And then we gave them brahms right before coming. So, I'm sorry

[3:17:10] they're a little loud, but they really wanted to be here. They care about this.

[3:17:14] I wanted to this time around just share from my personal experience

[3:17:20] with government regulated chemicals that were

[3:17:24] poorly regulated um by poorly placed developments. So I

[3:17:29] grew up with environmental exposure that was regulated and approved from the time

[3:17:36] I was 6 months old till that time I was 18. I went off to college and all of a

[3:17:41] sudden I would wake up in the middle of the night with my hands tied behind my

[3:17:45] back. Sometimes I would get out of the bed and fall and I was at Harvard and I

[3:17:51] couldn't read a paragraph and I'm like what's wrong with me? Great. Now I'm

[3:17:55] here and I can't even read. I had multiple scerosis. I was diagnosed with

[3:18:00] that later on by a doctor at the environmental center of Dallas who works

[3:18:05] with tons of people who were exposed to chemicals that were regulated.

[3:18:12] We did a lot of treatments, very expensive treatments. I starved myself.

[3:18:16] They gave me sauna treatments. They gave me medicines. None of it healed me. None

[3:18:19] of it healed the people that had Parkinson's or had pretty much lost

[3:18:23] their lives. Um, God healed me in one prayer meeting. President Truman's niece

[3:18:30] laid hands on me and she prayed for me and I was completely healed.

[3:18:34] » But I'll never forget what those chemicals did to me. Yes. Blessed be

[3:18:37] God. I'm married and I have children. Thank you, Jesus.

[3:18:41] So, I'm [clears throat] thinking about all the children here and all the people

[3:18:45] here. These were chemicals that were regulated that were approved. We really

[3:18:50] need time. We need the time. We need the moratorum.

[3:18:55] A second experience which I tremble to talk about this because I love all

[3:18:59] people. One of my best friends is from Pakistan. When she was five, Jesus

[3:19:04] appeared to her and said, "I want you to believe me." And she's like, "I can't.

[3:19:07] They're going to my parents will have to kill me. You have to tell them first."

[3:19:10] Jesus did. They converted. It was wonderful and she's amazing. Um,

[3:19:15] but when I went to Europe with my husband for pilgrimage, I had two

[3:19:19] encounters with Muslims who live what they believe.

[3:19:24] And we couldn't go out at night in France

[3:19:27] when we went to pray at this place because the nuns told us we had to be

[3:19:30] locked in because it was dangerous because of the Muslims. And then I had

[3:19:35] an experience on a taxi where I paid in London and the guy couldn't take my

[3:19:39] card. The machine was broken. So I give him cash. He's like, I I I don't have

[3:19:43] change. I don't work with cash. So this Muslim was waiting for the taxi and he's

[3:19:47] like, I'll give you the €5. Give me your 20. So I gave him my 20. He took my

[3:19:52] five. I mean he Yeah. Yeah, he gave me five and I was like, "Where's my

[3:19:55] change?" I have never in my whole life seen a person look at me like I'm worse

[3:20:01] than a dog, worse than I mean the the the the hatred towards me. So, just one

[3:20:07] last quote, if you don't mind, from a man who I don't know if you know, but

[3:20:13] the [clears throat] majority of Christians have been killed in the last

[3:20:16] hundred years, and it's been by the hands of Muslims. And the man said,"I

[3:20:21] killed this priest because my religion tells me I can lie to you. I can cheat

[3:20:25] you. I can rape you. And I can kill you." That's what their religion

[3:20:28] actually says. Can we trust this? Do we want 600 Muslim workers to come here? I

[3:20:33] think we need time to think about it and to pray. Thank you.

[3:20:37] » Thank you. [applause]

[3:20:45] » Okay. Number 16.

[3:20:56] Good evening. I am speaking in support of the proposed moratorum.

[3:21:01] The request for a moratorum is not about stopping development. It's about

[3:21:05] responsible governance and informed decision-making. Local governments have

[3:21:10] both the authority and the responsibility to ensure that

[3:21:14] development is compatible with the community's long-term vision and does

[3:21:18] not create unnecessary risk for residents.

[3:21:22] A temporary moratorum is an established planning mechanism that allows a city to

[3:21:27] preserve the status quo while gathering information, evaluating impacts, and

[3:21:32] determining whether existing regulations are adequate for a project of the scale

[3:21:37] and nature proposed. Recent examples in Oklahoma demonstrate

[3:21:42] that temporary moratoria are a recognized planning tool that allows

[3:21:47] local governments to evaluate significant energy, water,

[3:21:52] transportation, and land use impacts before additional development proceeds.

[3:21:58] And when there is substantial uncertainty regarding, excuse me,

[3:22:01] regarding potential health or environmental effects, the caution is

[3:22:05] certainly appropriate. As previously mentioned,

[3:22:11] this is not a permanent restriction and there is no request to deprive anyone of

[3:22:15] the use of their property. It is to be a pause while the city determines whether

[3:22:20] its zoning regulations and planning framework adequately address the

[3:22:24] proposed development. If questions remain unresolved, then a

[3:22:29] temporary moratorum is a reasonable and responsible step. It would allow the

[3:22:33] city to complete its review, evaluate land use compatibility, and develop any

[3:22:38] regulations necessary to protect the public interest.

[3:22:43] I would like to finish by adding the following. Compliance with zoning

[3:22:48] provisions does not mean those regulations adequately address the

[3:22:52] public health, safety, and welfare issues presented by industrial projects

[3:22:57] of unprecedented scale. Municipal governments have an ongoing

[3:23:01] responsibility to re-evaluate their ordinances when circumstances change

[3:23:05] dramatically. And it is important to recognize that

[3:23:08] many of these industrial projects are made possible through substantial public

[3:23:13] investment. Federal, state, and local taxpayers have contributed significant

[3:23:17] funding toward these projects, making them a true public private partnership.

[3:23:23] Last but not least, my sincere thanks to those who brought this moratorum to the

[3:23:27] people. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[3:23:32] [applause]

[3:23:36] » Number 17, please.

[3:23:50] I probably should have spoken earlier, but my name is Rosalie Griffith and I

[3:23:55] have been a member of the community for 56 years. As we all know, the past few

[3:24:01] weeks have been difficult. The discussion surrounding the proposed

[3:24:06] smelter plant has brought strong has brought out strong feelings, deep

[3:24:13] concerns, and passionate opinions. Every resident should know this clearly.

[3:24:20] Your voice matters. Your concerns should be heard and your well-being is the

[3:24:26] highest priority. Many of you have expressed fears about

[3:24:30] health, safety, environmental impact, property values, and the future of our

[3:24:38] town. These concerns are real and they deserve careful, respectful

[3:24:44] consideration. I feel the town council is committed to

[3:24:49] making sure every question is answered and every viewpoint is included in the

[3:24:56] decisionmaking process. At the same time, we must address the

[3:25:02] tone of recent conversations. Disagreement is part of a healthy

[3:25:08] community. personal attacks, threats, and attempts

[3:25:13] to harm or im intimidate members of the council or any resident or not.

[3:25:22] We should always protect everyone's right to speak and we should also

[3:25:28] protect everyone's right to feel safe. Let's move forward. Let's move forward

[3:25:35] constructively. form a community advisory group made up

[3:25:41] of residents with diverse viewpoints to ensure the public is involved in every

[3:25:47] stage of this process. Publish all documents, reports, and

[3:25:53] communication related to the proposed project so all of the public has access

[3:26:00] to the same information. Our goal should be simple. A fair,

[3:26:06] transparent, and respectful process that reflects the values of our town. We are

[3:26:14] all neighbors. We live here, raise our families here, and care deeply about

[3:26:21] this community. Let's all be civil and respect each other as we work through

[3:26:28] this together. This is what our town is about.

[3:26:35] » Thank you. [applause]

[3:26:42] Number 18, please.

[3:26:54] » Hi. Uh, my name is Megan. I'm from Kawita. I'm not a public speaker, so

[3:27:00] sorry. Um, I live on a I'm the fourth generation on

[3:27:05] a homestead that is directly south about 12 miles or so. Um, we get a lot of

[3:27:12] north winds and all of our water comes from the verdigree.

[3:27:17] Uh, I mostly just came here to remind you

[3:27:23] guys that it's not just Iola. We're here. We're

[3:27:27] watching and it affects us too. We got your back.

[3:27:33] And also, I grew up around a lot of cows and I know a lot of crap when I smell

[3:27:38] it. [applause]

[3:27:42] [cheering]

[3:27:50] [applause] Number 19, please. Number 19.

[3:27:58] this real quick.

[3:28:02] » Hi, my name's Amber. I'm from Claremore. And boy, was this refreshing coming from

[3:28:07] there because nobody's in jail right now. You guys aren't on your phones.

[3:28:12] Nobody's eating popcorn. So, thank you for that. Thanks for taking the time to

[3:28:16] listen because I new to that for me. Um, I don't think you guys are being asked

[3:28:24] to welcome partners that bring prosperity because these guys have a

[3:28:28] ledger of failures. Century Aluminum brings a trail of class action lawsuits

[3:28:33] and repeated EPA violations. EGA facilities have been targets of military

[3:28:38] missile and drone strikes. I'm here again to support this

[3:28:41] moratorum, not with a song this time, but with a sign, and I had to leave it

[3:28:46] outside. So, if any of you kids want a wooden cardboard hatchet, go for it.

[3:28:52] Um, like a hatchet, this moratorum can be a tool to clear a path. Voting

[3:28:59] against this ignores obvious red flags, but and it wouldn't be clearing the way.

[3:29:04] You are sharpening the blade against the very foundation Oklahoma was built upon.

[3:29:08] I was raised by generations of Oklahomaans who taught me that standing

[3:29:12] up for what is right is not a suggestion. It is a duty.

[3:29:16] This is beyond the consideration of an economic opportunity. This invites a

[3:29:19] history of instability and negligence into the heartland. The moratorum isn't

[3:29:24] just a pause on an industrial project. It is a test of our stewardship and a

[3:29:28] test of yours specifically. Who put you in those seats? It was not

[3:29:33] an outside corporation nor a foreign entity or government office with deep

[3:29:37] pockets. And it was certainly not the weirdo that was talking about ice cream

[3:29:40] swirls earlier, pretending like he had small town spirit.

[3:29:44] It's definitely some of the people in this room.

[3:29:48] It's some of the people that are sitting in the gym next door. It's But a lot of

[3:29:53] us are here to support each other. A lot of us have been here before. Maybe for a

[3:29:57] Friday Night Lights rivalry, maybe uh help clean up after a tornado. We've

[3:30:02] been here before, but it's the people that are familiar with this room that

[3:30:06] put you in those seats. It's the people that know what this community is about

[3:30:11] and have been in this community long enough to know what kind of change this

[3:30:15] is going to make overall. Now, your authority is a borrowed tool

[3:30:21] granted by Inola to protect them, not to bargain their safety away for a project

[3:30:26] pushed in through the dark. This moratorum is the sharpened edge of your

[3:30:31] power. Now, it is an instrument of your oversight meant to safeguard the people

[3:30:35] who elected you. And if this project proceeds through hasty choices, this

[3:30:39] will not be a situation that you can simply move past. The hatchet will be

[3:30:43] brought down upon the reputation of every official who had a hand in that

[3:30:47] decision. And I still really believe these guys are going to be behind you

[3:30:50] through that. Even outside if people are coming to attack you, these guys are

[3:30:54] here for you guys. And they want to feel that back.

[3:30:59] You have everything to gain by putting this on pause. a track record of

[3:31:04] courage, community trust.

[3:31:07] » Thank you, ma'am. >> Thanks.

[3:31:12] [applause]

[3:31:19] » Number 20, please.

[3:31:44] I'm sorry. Was she number 20? Who is that?

[3:31:51] Huh? Luke Steely. Steely.

[3:31:57] No. Okay then. Okay. Thank you for everyone

[3:32:02] for all your comments. We're going to go on to number five.

[3:32:07] » Question.

[3:32:12] » Yes, sir.

[3:32:15] [clears throat]

[3:32:21] » I don't know if it's even working. Yeah. If we have a uh what' you say in the

[3:32:27] game a cart. >> I I said a seat at the table.

[3:32:31] » Okay. How are we going to patrol that? I know we're not. Who will

[3:32:38] do that? >> That that that will be the council. Um,

[3:32:43] some of this could be the planning commission, but ultimately it would be a

[3:32:46] a requirement of a permit request, a special use permit by the smelter to

[3:32:54] seek a permit to get started. That's after this moratorum. That's after

[3:33:01] they've got that permitting in place. Thank you.

[3:33:05] So, so basically the change here, the proposed change is effectively that a

[3:33:11] special use permit will become a requirement that along with that special

[3:33:16] use permit, city attorney with outside council will come up with a permitting

[3:33:23] process for which they will require specific things. As there is more

[3:33:29] transparency from OPA, which I think has been a problem so far.

[3:33:34] Uh correct. It it there would indeed be oversight. Um you've heard about I fire

[3:33:40] response team for instance, roadways, cities always have those rights. The

[3:33:46] preeminent one clearly is health, safety, and welfare of the public.

[3:33:51] ODQ, they've already set out, look, these are our standards. These are what

[3:33:55] we have to follow. EPA said, look, we're going to put it on the ODQ. What neither

[3:33:59] one of them told you though is that ODQ is limited to restrictions as to what

[3:34:06] the EPA standards are. And our EPA standards are less than Norway and

[3:34:11] Iceland. This is a problem.

[3:34:16] Ultimately, you guys could say, "Look, we don't think that's appropriate. We

[3:34:21] think our town because we are the hay capital of the world has the ability to

[3:34:26] say, you know what, if we need to protect our other citizens, we need a

[3:34:31] buffer zone of a mile or we need a buffer zone of two miles. And you can be

[3:34:36] more restrictive to that end that you want. Right now, you have no say.

[3:34:43] That's all these people are begging you to do is stand up and say, "Look, we got

[3:34:48] to protect our community and to

[3:34:54] I I don't see a reason why you shouldn't enact this moratorum

[3:34:59] and and I I'm I'm trying to be as truly objective as I possibly can, but but I

[3:35:06] mean, Mr. Grigg, you you've been in Henrietta, Oklahoma. You drive by the

[3:35:13] smelter. It was a zinc and copper smelter that was there 65 years ago. My

[3:35:17] grandpa worked there. He had cancer of all manner different types. But nothing

[3:35:22] grows on the hills around it still 50 years later since the thing's been

[3:35:27] closed. That that shouldn't be the case here.

[3:35:30] And I I hope that they can if they can put it here that they can

[3:35:34] make it safe and it doesn't affect anybody. I I am pro- energy industry. I

[3:35:38] am proen energy across the board both personally and professionally.

[3:35:42] But more importantly, you got to protect

[3:35:46] people. And right now, you guys, you you're

[3:35:52] you're a ship without a rudder. You've got no say whatsoever. You've got no

[3:35:56] ability to require anything. Mainly because this ordinance should

[3:36:02] have been enacted prior to all of this taking place. It wasn't. and and I'm I'm

[3:36:08] trying to give you guys the tools to put yourself in a position to have a say.

[3:36:13] That's it. That's really it. Which is is less than what my clients

[3:36:18] have asked of me. But I think it's the right thing to do. It's the right thing

[3:36:23] under the laws of the state of Oklahoma. It's the right thing under the Oklahoma

[3:36:26] standard as we've heard referenced here. Um

[3:36:32] if I were in y'all's position personally, I would say yeah. I mean, we

[3:36:36] we we need to have a say. We owe it to the people that live here. We owe it to

[3:36:40] our neighboring communities who don't get any benefit from uh the tiff that's

[3:36:46] going into place. Um who may have some substantial effects, who by the way, I

[3:36:53] mean, you want to talk [snorts] about threats, the city of Iola has liability

[3:36:56] to those people, too. Um y'all were put in a you were put between a rock and a

[3:37:01] hard place, and you didn't ask for it. and and this is my

[3:37:07] my olive branch or hand out to try to help you up.

[3:37:12] » Okay. My question is you mentioned an ordinance.

[3:37:16] » Yeah. >> So we could have an ordinance instead of

[3:37:20] a moratorum. >> So So

[3:37:23] » to be able to hold it.

[3:37:26] » Hey, thank you for asking question. >> I'm just asking a question because you

[3:37:30] mentioned an ordinance. Yeah. that would have we would have a

[3:37:36] » seat at the table. >> Right.

[3:37:38] » Right. >> With an ordinance. Cor.

[3:37:40] » Well, what you need to do first is you need to

[3:37:46] you need to enter into the moratorum because it allows you the time period

[3:37:50] that it takes to draft and correct your zoning issues.

[3:37:56] That's a problem right now. I I will acknowledge that that is is generally a

[3:38:01] problem. I've had that discussion with the city attorney.

[3:38:04] » Okay. >> Um

[3:38:06] I I think you're well within your rights >> to do this.

[3:38:10] » You asking whether the ordinance is to make

[3:38:14] » correct or that you're requested tonight

[3:38:21] attorney. >> Okay. and and and

[3:38:25] » again this is it it's real like you said it's legal terms a lot that's why I

[3:38:32] asked the question of I know we're not going to make

[3:38:39] let's say we're talking about the air permit or they are we're not going to

[3:38:44] make that decision or somebody that's a scientist somebody mentioned that while

[3:38:49] ago is going to have to do that >> Madison Miller is driving the boat there

[3:38:54] and the ODQ has been excellent to deal with. They have gone out of their way to

[3:39:00] try to be informative to the town, but that's not the extent of what the city

[3:39:06] can have some control over. That's why you're getting this um response.

[3:39:13] They think you don't deserve a seat at the table ultimately,

[3:39:17] but the way that this thing is drafted gives

[3:39:21] this group the ability to put zoning requirements in place, draft a permit

[3:39:29] requirement that will address as things come up

[3:39:34] what is necessary to protect the citizens of the town, which is y'all's

[3:39:39] job. And and that's all it does. >> Good. Everybody is here talking about

[3:39:43] all of these other things. You need to stop it. You need to stop it. Full

[3:39:45] disclosure, that's that's not what's proposed. That's not what's before you.

[3:39:49] What's before you now is a six-month break for you to fix your ordinances and

[3:39:53] deal with what should have been done before. One,

[3:39:58] implement permitting process where you can require them and you could continue

[3:40:03] the moratorum if you want. You could you can make other decisions. And in fact,

[3:40:08] 60 days from now, if y'all don't think it's appropriate, I you could upend the

[3:40:12] moratorum and vote vote it off. That's that's okay. That is well within your

[3:40:17] purview. It's a group has to do it. Has to be a

[3:40:20] majority vote of the board. Um but but it's

[3:40:26] it's just a a balance to try to make sure that you have a say in the process

[3:40:31] because right now you don't. >> Okay? And and if all the these

[3:40:36] government officials that showed up here want to say, "Look, we'll help have a

[3:40:39] say." That would be great because that's I don't know how many people from this

[3:40:43] side of the room walked up here and said, "We want transparency.

[3:40:47] We want to know how we're going to be protected."

[3:40:50] I >> mean, that that's that's what the people

[3:40:52] are always going to be concerned about. And you know what? If

[3:40:57] federal government really wants to cram it down your throat, I don't know that

[3:40:59] you can stop it. But that doesn't mean that it's not your job to take steps to

[3:41:04] make sure the people here are safe to the extent that you can. And honestly,

[3:41:07] that provides protection for everybody everybody on this board.

[3:41:13] » Okay. >> Okay. Thank you.

[3:41:14] » Any other questions?

[3:41:18] » J have any other questions? Okay. Okay. Number five, presentation of the letters

[3:41:24] received from the Oklahoma Primary Aluminum, the TOSA ports, the White

[3:41:29] House, and others related to the proposed aluminum plant and the proposed

[3:41:34] memoratorum.

[3:41:39] » Scott, can you tell us about these letters?

[3:41:43] » No, >> those are the letters that have been

[3:41:45] provided to you all. I think you understand those. The newest one there

[3:41:50] is letter from President Trump, I believe someone,

[3:41:56] » is there someone here that wants to read this letter from the president?

[3:42:02] » There she is.

[3:42:09] » Sure. Uh, it'd be a privilege to read the letter that President Trump signed

[3:42:14] and got delivered yesterday for all of you. This is obviously a matter that

[3:42:18] matters greatly to him, as does transparency. He is the most transparent

[3:42:22] administration. >> Please,

[3:42:25] » why don't I just read the letter that he provided uh for the benefit of the

[3:42:29] trustees. I send my warmest greetings to the city council and the proud citizens

[3:42:35] of Inola Oklahoma as your Inola. >> Thank you. I apologize.

[3:42:42] Inola, Oklahoma, as your community stands on the threshold of history with

[3:42:47] the opportunity to approve the Oklahoma aluminum smelter, the first primary

[3:42:51] aluminum smelter to be built in the United States for nearly 50 years. Since

[3:42:55] the very first day of my administration, I have fought tirelessly to bring

[3:42:59] domestic manufacturing back home. The America First mission is built on the

[3:43:05] simple belief that the United States must never again depend on foreign

[3:43:10] powers to meet its economic and military needs. That is why upon returning to

[3:43:15] office, I called for aluminum to be proudly made in America, ensuring that

[3:43:20] our country can supply its own aluminum, safeguard similar materials essential to

[3:43:25] our national security, and stand ready to defend ourselves for generations to

[3:43:30] come. The proposed Oklahoma aluminum smelter stands at the centerpiece of

[3:43:35] this great national effort. A landmark joint venture between Century Aluminum

[3:43:41] and EGA. This $4 billion undertaking represents the largest single project

[3:43:46] investment in the history of Oklahoma, delivering an estimated 26.3

[3:43:52] billion dollar in economic impact while creating a thousand permanent

[3:43:57] high-paying jobs and 4,000 jobs throughout its construction. Once

[3:44:02] completed, the plant will rank as the largest primary aluminum production

[3:44:06] facility in the United States, more than doubling our nation's total output and

[3:44:11] providing dependable jobs and lasting revenue for hardworking citizens of

[3:44:17] Iola. This monumental project will also rank

[3:44:21] among the cleanest and safest smelters of its kind. Built with the greatest

[3:44:26] care for the natural beauty of Oklahoma. The health and safety of the citizens of

[3:44:32] Anola will be protected at every step. Your air and water resources vigorously

[3:44:38] safeguarded by the state and federal oversight for the benefit of your

[3:44:43] community. That same commitment extends to the incredible farmers, cattlemen,

[3:44:48] and ranchers of Rogers County, whose land and livelihoods will only grow

[3:44:53] stronger as they continue to feed our nation and power its prosperity.

[3:44:59] The people of Anola have always embodied the very best of the American spirit,

[3:45:04] and this city council now holds the power to write the next chapter in

[3:45:09] Oklahoma's story. I strongly urge you to approve the Oklahoma aluminum smelter

[3:45:14] without delay so that together we may strengthen our national security,

[3:45:19] supercharge our economy, and lead our nation boldly into the golden age of

[3:45:24] American greatness. >> Thank you for coming up and reading

[3:45:28] that.

[3:45:33] » [applause] [cheering]

[3:45:38] » Okay. If you have an orange dot and your number one

[3:45:46] orange, [laughter]

[3:45:51] » okay, your name is number two. It's not number one. My orange is number two.

[3:45:58] » Your orange is number two. >> I got the one.

[3:46:02] » I got the two.

Inola City Council Meeting - June 29, 2026

Transcript