Legislator fights $4 billion aluminum plant supported by Governor

  • May 19, 2025

 

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt called it a “monumental day for Oklahoma” in referring to his recent announcement of a $4 billion investment by Emirates Global Aluminum in an industrial plant near Inola.

Rep. Jim Shaw, R-Chandler calls it “crony capitalism” and came out in opposition to the state coming up with hundreds of millions of dollars as part of a memorandum of understanding that must be approved by the Oklahoma legislature.

“Why would the $255 million of our own taxpayer dollars, to be approved by the legislature, be needed to subsidize the cost and supply of energy to this facility?,” he asked in a social media message.

“As usual our Governor is boasting about our “pro-business environment” while promising jobs to Oklahomans,” he continued. Rep. Shaw questioned whether the foreign investment would truly benefit the local economy and the state.

In the announcement, Emirates Global Aluminum said it would build the plant on more than 350 acres at the 2,200-acre industrial park and also be the first smelter to be built in the U.S. since 1980.

Gov. Stitt welcomed the firm and said he was excited about the impact the investment would have on Oklahoma’s future.

“We are proud to welcome Emirates Global Aluminum to our state and excited for the generational impact this investment will have on our future. As President Donald Trump looks to onshore our nation’s supply chain for critical minerals, Oklahoma is leading the way in this sector. Thanks to our pro-business environment, Oklahoma is quickly becoming the critical minerals headquarters of the United States.”

The governor proclaimed Oklahoma was leading the way as “President Donald Trump looks to onshore our nation’s supply chain for critical minerals.”

The EGA deal is a part of more than $200 billion in new business announced yesterday between the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates. EGA bringing production to Oklahoma will strengthen crucial mineral supply chains and double current U.S. production capacity, according to the White House.

Rep. Jim Shaw, R-Chandler questioned whether the foreign investment in Oklahoma truly benefits the local economy and the people of Oklahoma. He said instead, Oklahoma should be supporting locally based jobs.

“Yet again we’re talking about a foreign based industry coming into rural Oklahoma and bringing with it not only a high cost to us, but the continued industrialization of our state,” he wrote.

“Why would the $255 million of our own taxpayer dollars, to be approved by the legislature, be needed to subsidize the cost and supply of energy to this facility? This plant would require a MASSIVE amount of energy to operate and Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) would need this money to supply the necessary energy at the negotiated rates.”

Shaw, known for his stances against solar and wind farm expansion in the state, also said he is urging the legislature to vote down the deal and added encouragement to his readers, “If you’re tired of Oklahoma being sold to the highest bidder, in exchange for insane kickbacks using your taxpayer dollars, please contact your State Representative and Senator and ask them to vote NO.”

Below is the entire social media posting:

This past Thursday it was announced that a $4 billion aluminum production plant, owned by entities out of the United Arab Emirates, has been proposed for Oklahoma at the Tulsa port of Inola. As usual our Governor is boasting about our “pro-business environment” while promising jobs to Oklahomans.
• Does foreign investment into our state truly benefit our local economy and the people of Oklahoma? We need a competitive Oklahoma for everybody and government needs to stop picking the winners and losers when all too often the losers are local businesses. We should we be supporting LOCALLY based jobs.
• How can we even begin to talk about becoming a No Income Tax state when over 3/4 of a Billion dollars (~$760m) of our own taxpayer money would be needed for this endeavor? This includes $255m to be approved by the legislature, as well as hundreds of millions in certain sales tax and inventory tax exemptions lasting in perpetuity. It’s not too hard to understand that the more holes we have in our tax base, the harder it is to LOWER the tax rate.
• Why would the $255 million of our own taxpayer dollars, to be approved by the legislature, be needed to subsidize the cost and supply of energy to this facility? This plant would require a MASSIVE amount of energy to operate and Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) would need this money to supply the necessary energy at the negotiated rates.
Yet again we’re talking about a foreign based industry coming into rural Oklahoma and bringing with it not only a high cost to us, but the continued industrialization of our state. In Oklahoma we should be focused on supporting local business – not crony capitalism – and finding a balance between economic growth and agrarian protection. This is far from the case in our state right now.
This agreement will only go into effect if the Oklahoma Legislature agrees to the terms in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). I am encouraging all legislators to disregard this MOU and vote against this measure. If you’re tired of Oklahoma being sold to the highest bidder, in exchange for insane kickbacks using your taxpayer dollars, please contact your State Representative and Senator and ask them to vote NO.

Jerry Bohnen