Lawton City Council will meet in special session April 22 for a briefing on the impact Westwin Element’s pilot plant may have on local air quality.

The session will begin at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of Lawton City Hall, Southwest 9th and C.

City officials said Blackshare Environmental Solutions was hired by the Lawton Economic Development Authority (LEDA), with help from the City of Lawton and Lawton Economic Development Corporation, to review Westwin’s air permit submittals, including all aspects of the air emissions from the pilot plant’s carbonyl process. The pilot plant is to provide the data needed for a bankable feasibility study on the full-scale refinery that will process cobalt and nickel. LEDA is the entity that the City Council has put in charge of the Westwin project.

The project has drawn intense scrutiny and criticism from a variety of people, including residents who live in the area around the plant site and indigenous members of the community. All have questioned the processes to be used at the plant and the potential effects on health and the environment, while others have questioned the City of Lawton’s involvement.

City officials said the April 22 meeting will include an update on construction of the pilot plant.

Residents who have specific questions may direct them to their City Council members. Contact information is available on the City of Lawton website: lawtonok.gov/government/city-council.

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