[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.