Explainer · Industry
Inola and Tulsa Ports: how the smelter dispute can be settled
Updated October 21, 2026 · Numbers as published by each source on the date shown
On October 15, 2026, the Tulsa Ports board voted unanimously to authorize a lawsuit asking a court to block the Town of Inola's moratorium and other rules that restrict industrial permits at the Port of Inola, where a proposed $4 billion aluminum smelter would go. A court ruling, a negotiated agreement, a town vote, or the state's permit review could each move it forward.
What is planned at the Port of Inola
The Oklahoma Primary Aluminum project is a proposed $4 billion aluminum development on about 350 acres at the Port of Inola, according to NewsOn6. Emirates Global Aluminum and Century Aluminum are co-developing it. Developers say it could create thousands of jobs, strengthen the US aluminum industry and reduce reliance on foreign aluminum.
Tulsa Ports, the port authority that runs the port, says it has planned and built more than $100 million in infrastructure at the Port of Inola and in the town over the past seven years.
What the town's moratorium does
Inola trustees approved a construction moratorium tied to the smelter on June 29, 2026, and later voted unanimously to extend it through April 7. Separately, the trustees put a citizen-led measure to ban aluminum production in Inola on the town's April 6, 2027 ballot. That petition is also being challenged in district court, NewsOn6 reports.
What Tulsa Ports is asking a court for
The board's vote authorizes its lawyers, the firm GableGotwals, to seek declaratory and injunctive relief against the town's ordinances and actions that restrict industrial development at the port, including the permit moratorium, according to the meeting agenda. That means asking a court to decide each side's rights and to issue an order blocking the challenged restrictions, KTUL explains. KTUL had not confirmed a filing as of the afternoon of the vote.
Tulsa Ports says its mission is to grow Oklahoma's economy by attracting new businesses, and that it needs to protect its ability to develop the port. It has said it will let the appropriate regulators evaluate the smelter on its merits.
Where the state stands
State leaders are split. Gov. Kevin Stitt said local voices should keep speaking into the process, but that changing the rules in the middle of a multi-year permitting process undermines the certainty that job creators need, Oklahoma Energy Today reported.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a lawsuit in June to stop the project, citing the health of residents, livestock and natural resources, and has asked for a preliminary injunction while the case is decided. On October 8 he asked the Department of Environmental Quality to revise a proposed air rule so that the smelter could not use purchased emission credits to meet federal ozone limits. The smelter's air permit application was filed in February and amended in September.
Ways this can be resolved
- The courts. A judge could rule on the port's claims against the town's rules, on the challenge to the ballot petition, and on the attorney general's lawsuit.
- The air permit. The smelter's air permit application, filed in February and amended in September, must show the project can meet federal air limits. The state is still writing proposed rules on how purchased emission credits can count toward that.
- The town vote. The aluminum ban is on the April 6, 2027 ballot, though the petition behind it is being challenged in court.
- Community terms. Some residents who oppose the smelter say they are not against industry. "We want industrial that is going to be complimentary to what is existing there already," Christine Roam of Protect Inola told KTUL. That points to possible common ground on what gets built and how.
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What it means for jobs and the port's build-out
The port has spent years preparing the site, and the developers say the smelter could bring thousands of jobs. Until the courts, regulators or voters act, the moratorium keeps new industrial permits on hold.
Common questions
Why is Tulsa Ports suing Inola?
On October 15, 2026, the Tulsa Ports board voted unanimously to authorize a lawsuit against the Town of Inola. It would ask a court to declare the parties' rights and block town ordinances and actions that restrict industrial development at the Port of Inola, including a moratorium on industrial permits.
What is the Inola moratorium?
It is a town pause on construction permits tied to the proposed aluminum smelter. Inola trustees approved it on June 29, 2026 and later voted unanimously to extend it through April 7.
Who is building the Inola aluminum smelter?
The proposed Oklahoma Primary Aluminum project is being co-developed by Emirates Global Aluminum and Century Aluminum, according to NewsOn6. It is a proposed $4 billion development on about 350 acres.
Sources
- Tulsa Ports authorizes lawsuit against Inola over development restrictions, Devyn Lyon, KTUL, Oct 15, 2026.
- Tulsa Ports votes to pursue legal action amid dispute over Inola aluminum smelter, Brian Smallwood, NewsOn6, Oct 15, 2026.
- Board of Directors regular meeting notice and agenda, City of Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority, Oct 15, 2026.
- Drummond asks DEQ to revise proposed rules, continues fight against Inola aluminum smelter, Oklahoma Attorney General, Oct 8, 2026.
- Inola being sued over aluminum smelter moratorium, Oklahoma Energy Today, Oct 19, 2026. Governor's statement.
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