A recycling company recruited by the Cherokee Nation broke ground without all the necessary permits, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality says.
Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies is building a plastics recycling plant in Watts. The site is not on tribal-owned land but is within the Cherokee Nation's jurisdictional area.
The tribe offered $200,000 to help the company recruit and train employees, The Tulsa World reported. Chief Chad Smith appeared at the ceremonial groundbreaking on Monday.
"We anticipate they will fully comply with all regulations," Cherokee spokesperson Mike Miller told the paper. "They market themselves as a green company, and I think that's their priority."
The state also offered incentives but officials say not all of the permits have been approved.
Get the Story:DEQ: Plant moving too fast (The Tulsa World 3/18)
