The 17-member legislature unanimously voted Monday to support the neighboring Muscogee Nation in its opposition to the controversial, $4 billion aluminum smelter planned for Inola.
Speaker of the Cherokee Nation Council Johnny Jack Kidwell wrote in a statement that the resolution acknowledges Muscogee Nation's sovereignty over its lands.
"By passing this resolution, the Council urges all applicable state and federal regulatory agencies to engage in full and meaningful consultation with all tribal nations affected," Kidwell wrote.
The measure states that pollution stemming from the smelter could extend beyond reservation boundaries. That's because Inola is located near the border of the Muscogee reservation, just west of Cherokee Nation.
The project, which has support from President Donald Trump, Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma state government, is a joint venture between Emirates Global Aluminum and U.S.-based Century Aluminum. It would be the first aluminum smelter built in the U.S. in more than 40 years.
The council's rules committee forwarded the legislation to a full vote two weeks ago.
Opposition to the smelter
The Muscogee National Council formally opposed the smelter in late July. Council members said they would work with the town of Inola to prevent the project from coming to fruition.
In early August, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. released a statement expressing concern about the smelter's impacts and requesting consultation with affected tribal nations and governments.
But the two tribes aren't the only opponents.
Inola residents have protested the project, fulfilling an initiative petition to turn it over to a public vote next spring. That petition, however, is being challenged by the City of Tulsa–Rogers County Port Authority, which manages the Tulsa Port of Inola.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed litigation against the smelter, attempting to block its creation.
On Monday, Drummond requested the companies behind the smelter disclose ownership stakes. Specifically, Drummond questions if Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, has an interest in the economic venture, citing his alleged financial connections to the UAE.
"These are allegations, not findings, and the State treats them as such," Drummond wrote in a filing. "But they are serious allegations about the government that owns sixty percent of this project, and the State is entitled to find out whether they reach (the project)."
The Department of Justice has tried to intervene in the case but has met pushback. Last week, a Rogers County judge denied a DOJ attorney's request to enter the lawsuit, stating the request did not comply with Oklahoma pleading requirements.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
