The state of Oklahoma and numerous, poultry companies have 90 days to come to an agreement on how to remedy pollution caused by chicken litter in the Illinois River.
This comes after the state sued Tyson and other poultry companies and won.
In January, a judge ruled the poultry companies had two months to reach an agreement on how to clean the Illinois River from the chicken litter.
Today, they asked for a continuance to work out the negotiations.
Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, says the state is looking for remediation and a new protocol going forward.
According to the Associated Press, District Judge, Gregory Frizzell ruled in January that Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, Minnesota-based Cargill Inc. and other companies polluted the Illinois River, caused a public nuisance and trespassed by spreading litter, or manure, on land in eastern Oklahoma, and then it leaked into the river’s watershed.
Some of the effects caused by the pollution include low oxygen levels in the river, algae growth and damage to the fish population.
Attorney General Drummond tells 2 News that when the court published its findings, it was 219 pages of very significant litigation in the state of Oklahoma.
“It is so broad a scope that it is not going to be simply taken care of in 90 days. We believe that we will reach in substance an agreement or not in the next 90 days. I think we will have two areas, one is remediation and two is a new protocol going forward so that we can minimize the poultry litter in the Illinois River watershed,” said Drummond.
Drummond said that all parties plan to meet before the June 16th hearing.
He says he hopes to spend the month of May hammering out the details of an agreement.
If no agreement is reached, it will be up to the court to render a judgment.
The judge asked both parties to submit a status report to him one week before the June 16th hearing.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
