USA: Company behind proposed Inola aluminum smelter lowers fluoride emissions limit by 37%
Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2026 3:46 pm
Company behind proposed Inola aluminum smelter lowers fluoride emissions limit by 37%
FOX News - September 4, 2026
INOLA, Okla. — The company behind the proposed $4 billion aluminum smelter in Inola has lowered its proposed fluoride emissions limit by 37% as state environmental regulators continue reviewing the project.
Oklahoma Primary Aluminum submitted a corrected version of its air quality construction permit application to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality on Sept. 3.
The application lowers OPA's proposed maximum potline total fluoride emissions limit from 1.02 pounds per ton of aluminum produced to 0.64 pounds per ton.
The revised application remains under technical review by DEQ, and no final air quality construction permit has been issued.
FOX23 spoke with OPA Project Director Ziad Fares last week, where he shared that the company's original fluoride number would likely change.
"The initial number that we put there will most likely be updated," Fares said.
One week later, it did.
Fares told FOX23 the original 1.02 figure was based on benchmarks from previous permit applications, while the new number followed additional engineering work.
"We knew that our actuals would actually be well below that initial permit limit, but we wanted to take the time to do the proper engineering studies before resubmitting to the DEQ a lower number."
OPA said 0.64 pounds per ton is now the company's final proposed fluoride limit; however, DEQ will independently review the application and ultimately determine what limits, if any, are included in a final permit.
FOX23 reached back out to Inola landowners who have raised concerns about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed facility.
Steven Flathers, who owns land near Inola, said the reduction does not end his concerns.
"I know for a fact they can still get it lower and I'd like to see them do it," Flathers stated.
OPA said its proposed 0.64 pound limit would be lower than the permitted fluoride intensity limits at nine of 11 international benchmark facilities identified by the DEQ.
The company also said actual day-to-day emissions would be expected to remain below the permitted maximum.
FOX23 reviewed the hundreds of pages contained in OPA's corrected permit application and found fluoride is only one part of the facility's proposed emissions profile.
A preliminary Potential to Emit table included in the application estimates the facility could emit approximately 1,520 tons of sulfur dioxide per year.
The application also estimates nearly 6.94 million tons per year of greenhouse gases, measured as carbon dioxide equivalent.
Those figures are Potential to Emit estimates used in the permitting process and do not necessarily represent what the facility would emit during normal day-to-day operations.
For its greenhouse gas calculations, OPA used five years of emissions data from EGA's AI Taweelah facility and applied a 25% safety factor to account for variability.
That 25% factor is a cushion used in estimating potential greenhouse gas emissions. It does not mean the facility would be permitted to exceed whatever emissions limits are ultimately established.
Dr. Charles Marshall, a board-certified industrial hygienist with decades of experience in environmental science, has been working with opponents of the proposed smelter to help interpret technical information in the permit documents.
"They're focusing on fluorine because it's definitely a significant pollutant, but there is a lot of other pollution at the site as well," Marshall told FOX23.
Marshall said he believes the new fluoride announcement only begins to address the larger environmental questions surrounding the facility.
"I would say that if anything, this announcement that they make really just touches the tip of the iceberg."
FOX23 then took questions about the broader emissions profile back to Fares.
"All the pollutants are going to be subject to the same level of scrutiny," Fares said.
The revised application includes estimates for pollutants including nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gases.
However, how much a facility is permitted to emit is different from determining what concentrations could ultimately reach nearby homes, farms or ranches.
That distinction remains a central concern for some people following the project.
Thomas Harrington has a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and has spent nearly a decade working in the oil and gas industry, with specific experience in industrial emissions-controlled systems.
Harrington told FOX23 he does not want his questions about the project to be interpreted as opposition to industry.
"Coming from somebody who is in oil and gas, I don't want this to come across as I am against industry, by no means," Harrington explained. "I mean, that is what has sustained my family and my life for my entire career. I just want people to recognize that to say this is just another industry is drastically incorrect."
Harrington said his larger question is what the proposed emissions could ultimately mean beyond the boundaries of the facility.
"Even if they do the best possible to reduce emissions, there will still be an impact. The question is, what is that impact?"
That question has not yet been fully answered through the state's permitting process.
Fares said OPA's next steps include detailed air dispersion modeling designed to determine fluoride concentrations surrounding the proposed facility and assess potential impacts on people, animals and vegetation.
"We will be working very closely with the DEQ to demonstrate that at those permit limits, the fluoride emissions are going to be at safe levels for the communities around us," Fares stated.
DEQ says it's currently conducting its technical review of OPA's application.
During that stage, the agency reviews the application for technical compliance and can require the applicant to correct deficiencies.
The process would then move toward either a draft permit or draft denial.
If DEQ issues a draft permit, the process includes an opportunity for public comment before the agency makes a final decision.
The proposed smelter does not currently have a final air quality construction permit.
You can view OPA's corrected permit application, DEQ correspondence and other documents associated with the project through the state's online permitting portal here.
SOURCE
https://fox23.com/news/local/company-be ... imit-by-37
FOX News - September 4, 2026
INOLA, Okla. — The company behind the proposed $4 billion aluminum smelter in Inola has lowered its proposed fluoride emissions limit by 37% as state environmental regulators continue reviewing the project.
Oklahoma Primary Aluminum submitted a corrected version of its air quality construction permit application to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality on Sept. 3.
The application lowers OPA's proposed maximum potline total fluoride emissions limit from 1.02 pounds per ton of aluminum produced to 0.64 pounds per ton.
The revised application remains under technical review by DEQ, and no final air quality construction permit has been issued.
FOX23 spoke with OPA Project Director Ziad Fares last week, where he shared that the company's original fluoride number would likely change.
"The initial number that we put there will most likely be updated," Fares said.
One week later, it did.
Fares told FOX23 the original 1.02 figure was based on benchmarks from previous permit applications, while the new number followed additional engineering work.
"We knew that our actuals would actually be well below that initial permit limit, but we wanted to take the time to do the proper engineering studies before resubmitting to the DEQ a lower number."
OPA said 0.64 pounds per ton is now the company's final proposed fluoride limit; however, DEQ will independently review the application and ultimately determine what limits, if any, are included in a final permit.
FOX23 reached back out to Inola landowners who have raised concerns about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed facility.
Steven Flathers, who owns land near Inola, said the reduction does not end his concerns.
"I know for a fact they can still get it lower and I'd like to see them do it," Flathers stated.
OPA said its proposed 0.64 pound limit would be lower than the permitted fluoride intensity limits at nine of 11 international benchmark facilities identified by the DEQ.
The company also said actual day-to-day emissions would be expected to remain below the permitted maximum.
FOX23 reviewed the hundreds of pages contained in OPA's corrected permit application and found fluoride is only one part of the facility's proposed emissions profile.
A preliminary Potential to Emit table included in the application estimates the facility could emit approximately 1,520 tons of sulfur dioxide per year.
The application also estimates nearly 6.94 million tons per year of greenhouse gases, measured as carbon dioxide equivalent.
Those figures are Potential to Emit estimates used in the permitting process and do not necessarily represent what the facility would emit during normal day-to-day operations.
For its greenhouse gas calculations, OPA used five years of emissions data from EGA's AI Taweelah facility and applied a 25% safety factor to account for variability.
That 25% factor is a cushion used in estimating potential greenhouse gas emissions. It does not mean the facility would be permitted to exceed whatever emissions limits are ultimately established.
Dr. Charles Marshall, a board-certified industrial hygienist with decades of experience in environmental science, has been working with opponents of the proposed smelter to help interpret technical information in the permit documents.
"They're focusing on fluorine because it's definitely a significant pollutant, but there is a lot of other pollution at the site as well," Marshall told FOX23.
Marshall said he believes the new fluoride announcement only begins to address the larger environmental questions surrounding the facility.
"I would say that if anything, this announcement that they make really just touches the tip of the iceberg."
FOX23 then took questions about the broader emissions profile back to Fares.
"All the pollutants are going to be subject to the same level of scrutiny," Fares said.
The revised application includes estimates for pollutants including nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gases.
However, how much a facility is permitted to emit is different from determining what concentrations could ultimately reach nearby homes, farms or ranches.
That distinction remains a central concern for some people following the project.
Thomas Harrington has a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and has spent nearly a decade working in the oil and gas industry, with specific experience in industrial emissions-controlled systems.
Harrington told FOX23 he does not want his questions about the project to be interpreted as opposition to industry.
"Coming from somebody who is in oil and gas, I don't want this to come across as I am against industry, by no means," Harrington explained. "I mean, that is what has sustained my family and my life for my entire career. I just want people to recognize that to say this is just another industry is drastically incorrect."
Harrington said his larger question is what the proposed emissions could ultimately mean beyond the boundaries of the facility.
"Even if they do the best possible to reduce emissions, there will still be an impact. The question is, what is that impact?"
That question has not yet been fully answered through the state's permitting process.
Fares said OPA's next steps include detailed air dispersion modeling designed to determine fluoride concentrations surrounding the proposed facility and assess potential impacts on people, animals and vegetation.
"We will be working very closely with the DEQ to demonstrate that at those permit limits, the fluoride emissions are going to be at safe levels for the communities around us," Fares stated.
DEQ says it's currently conducting its technical review of OPA's application.
During that stage, the agency reviews the application for technical compliance and can require the applicant to correct deficiencies.
The process would then move toward either a draft permit or draft denial.
If DEQ issues a draft permit, the process includes an opportunity for public comment before the agency makes a final decision.
The proposed smelter does not currently have a final air quality construction permit.
You can view OPA's corrected permit application, DEQ correspondence and other documents associated with the project through the state's online permitting portal here.
SOURCE
https://fox23.com/news/local/company-be ... imit-by-37