Oklahoma Attorney General Files Water Polution Suit

Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmonson filed a lawsuit, Monday,June 13, 2005 against 14 poultry companies accussed of polluting the water in northeastern Oklahoma, The Joplin Globe,Tuesday,June 14,2005. The Compliant,filed in the US District Court of the Northern District of Oklahoma, alleges violations of the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act(CERCLA), state and federal nusiance laws, trespass and Oklahoma environmental codes. "It all comes down to polution. Too much poultry waste is being dumped on the ground and it ends up in the water. That's against the law", said Drew Edmondson, Oklahoma A.G.
"One company alone, Tyson, announced that they spent $75 million over 12 months in an ad campaign. If they can afford that, they can afford to clean up their waste", said Mr. Edmondson.
Named in the complaint are: Tyson Foods Inc., Tyson Poultry Inc., Yyson Chicken Inc., Cobb-Vantress Inc., Aviagen Inc., Cal-Maine Foods Inc., Cargill Inc., Cargill Turkey Production LLC, George's Inc., George's Farms Inc., Peterson Farms Inc., Simmons Foods Inc. and Willow Brook Foods Inc. http://www.joplinglobe.com/archives/story.php?story_id=101960

The suit is focused on problems in the Illinois River. However, the Spring River Watershed (including tributaries) has poultry farms and poultry producers that are contributing to the problems in the Spring River Watershed, too.