Latest news with #GovStitt
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers pass Reindustrialize Oklahoma Act to help fund aluminum smelting plant
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — After the announcement that a $4 billion aluminum smelting plant was headed to northeast Oklahoma, lawmakers passed a bill that would give millions of dollars in incentives. 'It's the first smelter, aluminum smelter company, or factor manufacturer that's been built in the United States in 45 years,' said Gov. Stitt on Wednesday. Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) is the manufacturer that the act is aimed at. Oklahoma entered into an agreement with one of the world's largest aluminum manufacturers to build a production plant in northeast Oklahoma, which is expected to create an estimated 2,800 new jobs. According to the Governor's Office, the $4 billion project with EGA would create 1,000 direct jobs and 1,800 indirect jobs. Lawmakers discussed the pros and cons on the floor when voting for the act. When all is said and done, the plant will get over $800 million in state dollars or around that amount of money. 'I think Oklahoma could have gotten a better deal,' said Senator Mary Boren (D-Norman). Senator Boren said that the state is investing a lot of money in a plant that will end up providing more money for the entire country. Aluminum smelting has been known to be a serious water and air polluter, but Senator Boren said that EGA and its country are aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement. 'Senator Kirt asked representatives if they're going to follow Oklahoma standards or are they going to continue to follow the standards that they're business has for environmental priorities. They looked in a somewhat horrified way, 'why would we ever reduce our standards, that we take a lot of pride in,'' said Senator Boren. Agreement reached to bring major aluminum plant to Oklahoma EGA is the world's largest premium aluminum producer. According to the act, they wouldn't get money until they hired 700 people in the first year and then 1,000 continually. Over on the House floor, when questioning the act, lawmakers asked about the priorities the manufacturer has shined a light on. According to EGA's website, one of their goals is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and another is diversity. Diversity, equity, and inclusion has been a hot-button topic on the House and Senate floor in Oklahoma. The Chief Executive Officer for EGA, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, has said, 'Diversity drives business performance, and is also the right thing for society. Heavy industry is traditionally male-dominated, and our goal is to change that.' On the House floor, Rep. Forrest Bennet (D-OKC) asked Rep. Mike Osburn (R-Edmond) if he knew that the manufacturer prioritized diversity and if it would be a problem with them in the future for potential contracts. 'I don't know the answer to that,' said Rep. Osburn. 'This is a historic day for Oklahoma,' said Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle). 'With the passage of the Reindustrialize Oklahoma Act, we are sending a clear message to the world – Oklahoma is open for business and ready to lead the next era of American manufacturing. ROA-25 gives our state a powerful tool to compete for high-impact investments that bring long-term jobs, economic growth, and prosperity to our citizens. This is a smart, pro-economic development policy that only rewards real performance. There is no upfront giveaway. Companies must deliver major private investment and create jobs before any rebates are issued. It's a win-win for Oklahoma workers and our economic future.' Construction is expected to begin in 2026, and production is expected to start between the end of 2029 and the beginning of 2030. The full agreement can be read here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Remembrance walk held after veto of crucial bill for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
SHAWNEE, Okla. (KFOR) – The Citizen Potawatomie Nation held a Remembrance Walk Friday in Shawnee to honor the many Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. This comes the same week Gov. Stitt vetoed a crucial bill that would've helped fund an investigative unit to help solve cases surrounding Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. 'The veto, I can honestly say I didn't understand,' said Lorenda Morgan. Morgan led the way for Ida's Law after her cousin, Ida Beard, disappeared from El Reno in 2015. She stood by Gov. Stitt as he signed it into law. That law essentially created an investigative unit within the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that would help try to solve cases surrounding Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. The money for the unit has to come from the federal government, but officials said the process is hard, so getting money for the unit is hard too. Tribes upset over a bill vetoed by Gov. Stitt The veto came this week from Gov. Stitt, and it applied to House Bill 1137. One of Stitt's reasons for the veto was that agencies shouldn't prioritize justice 'because of race.' 'OSBI is tasked with prosecuting all kinds of crime, including anyone who is murdered in Oklahoma, regardless of race,' said Gov. Stitt in a video on social media. 'Everyone is equally protected under the law, but Native Americans didn't have that protection under the law like everyone else,' said Morgan. The peacewalk was hosted for a second year in a row and was also held through the House of Hope, the tribe's domestic violence intervention program. The goal was to raise awareness for the disproportionate violence against indigenous peoples with a walk during National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Week. There were talks this week from lawmakers about a possible override. Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton was asked specifically about overrides, and he said that there were 'several of Rep. Weaver's bills that were vetoed that we're going to talk about.' Rep. Weaver was the Senator co-author on HB 1137, he was also a part of a bipartisan-supported bill that would have required insurance companies to cover certain screenings that can catch breast cancer early, a decision that has left the bill's author, who is battling breast cancer herself, heartbroken. 'It seems like the governor has his legislation a little bit wrong in terms of what his bill was trying to do. Again, we have efforts that we're working on to hopefully see an override,' said Rep. Cindy Munson on Thursday. The way for an override to work, there would have to be a two-thirds vote to approve in both the House and the Senate. Both of those bills had overwhelming support. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
