Oklahoma's attorney general sues to block largest US aluminum smelter

* Lawsuit comes after Trump endorsed AG's rival for governor

* Smelter could supply 750,000 metric ​tons/year of aluminum

* Allegations ⁠that smelter's emissions would harm cattle

* Suit cites project's ties ​to 'Islamic foreign monarchy' in UAE

June 3 (Reuters) - Oklahoma's attorney general has filed a lawsuit seeking to block Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) and Century Aluminum from building the largest U.S. aluminum ​smelter, ‌citing concerns about the project's ties to the United Arab Emirates and saying it could harm the state's cattle.

The suit was filed in state court on Tuesday ⁠by Republican Gentner Drummond, who is running for governor. It seeks to tap into ⁠the ongoing debate across the U.S. about the buildout ​of critical minerals projects, especially in rural towns with deep ties to farming and ranching.

The $4 billion Oklahoma smelter project has the backing of President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Drummond's opponent in the Republican primary for governor. If constructed, it would produce 750,000 metric tons per year of aluminum, a ​key metal used widely ‌across various industries, and be the first of its kind built in the country since 1980.

EGA controls 60% of the project, with Chicago-based Century Aluminum controlling the remaining 40%. The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. imports more than half of the aluminum it needs each year. That imbalance has prompted a wave of tariffs from the Trump administration.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, has been positioning ​the state as an epicenter of America's critical minerals renaissance, a move Trump has supported.

The U.S. Energy Department gave the aluminum project a $500 million ‌grant earlier this year, alongside state incentives.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ALLEGATIONS

Drummond alleges in the 12-page lawsuit that the smelter, slated for the town of Inola, roughly ‌30 miles (48 km) east of Tulsa, would leach air and water pollutants that would "injure the health, comfort, repose, and safety of the people" of the region.

"A primary aluminum smelter does not belong in a community's backyard and its emissions do not respect property lines," Drummond, who was elected as ​attorney general in 2022, wrote in the lawsuit, which asks the court to block the project.

Drummond blasted EGA's owner, sovereign wealth funds tied to the United Arab Emirates ‌government, referring to it as an "Islamic foreign monarchy."

"When the fumes settle over Inola, the people harmed will be Oklahomans; the entity that profits, and that holds the controlling vote on how the plant is run, answers to Abu Dhabi and Dubai," Drummond wrote.

The suit was filed four days ⁠after Trump endorsed ⁠Drummond's rival, former state Senator Mike Mazzei, for the June 16 Republican gubernatorial primary.

Both Mazzei and ‌Drummond are neck-and-neck in recent polling. The winner of the primary is likely to easily win the November 3 general election in the Republican-dominated state.

Stitt, the outgoing governor, noted ​the lawsuit's timing just days after Trump's ​endorsement and said Drummond is "weaponizing his office to settle scores instead of serving Oklahomans."

Construction on the ‌smelter had been slated to begin by the end of the year, with production by the end of the decade.

EGA operates smelters in the Middle East and an aluminum recycling plant in Minnesota.

Chicago-based Century operates smelters in Iceland, South Carolina and Kentucky. Glencore is Century's largest shareholder, with a 30% stake. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by David Gregorio)

Century Aluminum Co.

Glencore