Attorney General Gentner Drummond today issued a sharp response to Gov. Stitt regarding the Illinois River watershed litigation, accusing the Governor of being “bought and paid for” by out-of-state Big Poultry companies.
State of Oklahoma v. Tyson Foods, Inc., was filed in 2005 and seeks to hold major poultry companies accountable for polluting the Illinois River watershed with phosphorus from chicken waste. Earlier this year, a federal court found that the watershed remains polluted by excess phosphorus from the waste.
In a letter, Drummond criticized Stitt’s claim of wanting to work cooperatively as disingenuous, noting the Governor fired his own Secretary of Energy and Environment for attending a December 2024 hearing on the case.
“Your actions speak louder than words: you are bought and paid for by out-of-state Big Poultry corporations,” Drummond wrote. “These companies have poured money into your political campaigns, and now you are doing their bidding—seeking a sweetheart deal that puts their profits ahead of Oklahoma’s people, our farmers, and our land.”
Drummond emphasized his support for Oklahoma’s farmers while holding corporate polluters accountable.
“I am firmly pro-agriculture and deeply committed to Oklahoma’s farm families, but I will not turn a blind eye when out-of-state Big Poultry companies ignore the rule of law, abuse our land, and put excessive profits over the hardworking men and women who make this industry possible. You may be beholden to out-of-state Big Poultry’s money, but I am beholden to the people of our state,” Drummond wrote in the letter to Stitt.
The attorney general said he remains willing to work toward a fair resolution but will not back down from holding these poultry corporations accountable.
