TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa federal judge again sided with the state’s top prosecutor in a nearly 20-year court battle over pollution in the Illinois River watershed, allegedly caused by chicken slaughterhouses.
The 2005 lawsuit was filed against poultry giants Tyson Foods, Cal-Maine, Cargill, Peterson Farms, and Simmons Foods, among others.
WATCH: Judge allowing poultry pollution case to continue, agrees pollution continues:
The State of Oklahoma has argued ever since that the corporations' facilities dumped millions of tons of pollutants in chicken litter into nearby rivers and creeks. This includes excess nitrogen, phosphorus, oil, and cyanide in the Illinois River, Flint Creek, and Lake Tenkiller in Cherokee and Sequoyah counties.
On June 17, Judge Gregory Frizzell denied the December 2024 argument from the poultry lawyers on that data used for the pollution claim in the 2010 trial was no longer valid, and ordered the two sides to either come to a settlement agreement or wait until his final ruling.
- Previous coverage>>> Evidentiary hearing underway in federal court in long-running poultry lawsuit
Gov. Kevin Stitt is not on board with this lawsuit, and even fired his Secretary of Energy & Environment Ken McQueen for being present during testimony in December. The governor’s office did not return 2 News' request for comment on June 18.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued this statement in response to the judge's decision:
"I’m committed to finding a path forward that restricts poultry producers from polluting the Illinois River and allows us to clean up the watershed to preserve it for future generations. We very much value the poultry companies and want them to remain in Oklahoma. But that doesn’t mean the industry can pollute the Illinois River, one of our state’s greatest treasures. Having a clean river doesn’t mean we can’t also have good industry. Both can, and should, exist."
Former state Attorney General Drew Edmondson, who first filed the lawsuit back in 2005, could not be reached for comment.
The Poultry Federation responded June 19 with a statement after the ruling on June 17.
"We are disappointed in the court’s ruling. The Poultry Federation remains deeply concerned that this case is being used by activists and trial lawyers to try to end farming and ranching in the Illinois River Watershed, and potentially far beyond, for decades to come. This two-decade-long legal effort unfairly threatens the livelihoods of farmers, ranchers, and landowners who acted in good faith and in full compliance with state regulations."
Tyson Foods did not return a 2 News email requesting a statement.
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