Save the Illinois River | Environment | July 25, 2026
STIR President Paul Rowsey's statement on the proposed settlement of Oklahoma's poultry lawsuit.
Also, Attorney General Gentner Drummond's press release about the agreement with Tyson and other poultry companies.“Save the Illinois River, Inc. (STIR) is pleased to see that the State of Oklahoma and all of the Defendants have reached a settlement in the long-standing lawsuit involving poultry litter pollution in the Illinois River Watershed. We have continued to believe that a comprehensive settlement would be beneficial to the community at-large, the environment and water quality in the watershed, our local farmers and agricultural growers, and the settling defendants. We have continually stressed that clean water and agriculture interests can co-exist for the benefit of all. We commend the Oklahoma Attorney General’s pursuit of this decades old lawsuit and Judge Gregory Frizzel’s well-reasoned opinion on behalf of Oklahoma’s most prized scenic waters. We also commend the defendants in the lawsuit for recognizing their corporate responsibility in reaching a settlement. Most importantly, as we continue to analyze the terms of the settlement, we hope and trust that this process will lead to the remediation of previous pollution and that the restoration of impaired waters can immediately begin. STIR has advocated for greater protection for the waters in the Illinois River Watershed. The United States District Court’s Judgment offered that protection. We look forward to seeing if the Court will approve the proposed settlement.”
Lawsuit to close after settlement approval
As part of the agreement, the state will move to set aside the December 2025 court judgment and dismiss the lawsuit once the settlement is finalized.
Payments to the Environmental Relief Fund are due within 30 days after the courts vacate the prior judgment and dismiss the case.
The settlement lasts seven years, and the companies must continue following Oklahoma’s poultry litter-management laws during and after that period.
“This settlement protects our water and Oklahoma’s thriving poultry growers. Families in this watershed have waited 21 years for that outcome,” Drummond said. “I’m glad all six companies came to the table to help us get there. This is what it looks like when everyone works together to make Oklahoma better.”
---------------IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2026
Drummond reaches nearly $44M settlement resolving 21-year poultry litter pollution lawsuit
OKLAHOMA CITY (July 13, 2026) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond today announced a nearly $44 million settlement resolving the State's 21-year lawsuit against six companies over poultry litter pollution in the Illinois River Watershed.
Oklahoma sued Tyson Foods, Cargill, George's, Peterson Farms, Cal-Maine and Simmons Foods in 2005. A federal judge found the companies liable in December 2025, then rejected a narrower settlement with four of the six companies this spring. Today's agreement resolves the case in full, covering all six companies.
“This agreement allows us to turn the page on a dispute that has gone on for far too long,” Drummond said. “It protects Oklahoma’s water, provides certainty for our poultry industry, and shows that difficult problems can be solved through persistence and good-faith negotiation. When the court asked us to strengthen the agreement, we went back to work and reached a better result. Every company has now made enforceable commitments with clear deadlines, creating a balanced solution that protects our natural resources while supporting one of Oklahoma’s most important industries.”
Under the settlement, the defendants will:
Pay $41,671,000 into an Environmental Relief Fund for watershed stewardship and litigation costs to be transferred to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission;
Pay a combined $420,000 in penalties to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Revolving Fund;
Fund a combined $1.9 million Auditor Fund to pay for an agreed-upon independent compliance monitor;
Progressively reduce how much poultry litter removed from poultry houses each year is applied to the land within the watershed — from no more than 40% in years one and two, to no more than 30% in years three and four, down to no more than 20% in years five through seven — and litter exported from the watershed to meet those limits many not be land-applied in any other nutrient-sensitive watershed in Oklahoma;
Fund, or secure funding for, half the cost of installing vegetative buffers on qualifying poultry farms along Lake Tenkiller and the watershed's Scenic Rivers, which filter runoff before it reaches the water;
Submit to annual compliance certifications and audits with financial penalties for any company that does not meet its litter-reduction commitments.
In exchange, the State will move to set aside the December 2025 court judgment and close out the lawsuit once the settlement is finalized. Payments to the Environmental Relief Fund are due within 30 days after the courts vacate the prior judgment and dismiss the case. The settlement runs for seven years, and companies must still follow all of Oklahoma's litter-management laws during and after that time.
“This settlement protects our water and Oklahoma’s thriving poultry growers. Families in this watershed have waited 21 years for that outcome,” Drummond said. “I'm glad all six companies came to the table to help us get there. This is what it looks like when everyone works together to make Oklahoma better.
