News
Oklahoma files appeal of settlement rejection in poultry pollution lawsuit
2+ hour, 9+ min ago (246+ words) In 2005, the State of Oklahoma sued more than a dozen poultry companies, saying their handling of poultry waste was responsible for degraded water quality in Northeast Oklahoma's Illinois River and Lake Tenkiller. In 2023, a federal judge ruled that was true…...
As 20-year-old lawsuit continues, poultry growers and environmental advocates are in limbo
3+ day, 10+ hour ago (1759+ words) Oklahoma has been locked in a court battle with a handful of large poultry companies for more than two decades. But for the first few months of this year, it seemed like the lawsuit might be coming to a close....
Federal judge denies settlements in Oklahoma's decades-long poultry pollution lawsuit
1+ mon, 6+ day ago (648+ words) In early 2023, Oklahoma Northern District Court Judge Gregory K. Frizzell ruled that the poultry companies were responsible for elevated phosphorus levels in the Illinois River Watershed and must clean it up. For nearly three years, the state and the companies could…...
Bird flu detected in Eastern Oklahoma backyard flock | KGOU - Oklahoma's NPR Source
4+ mon, 6+ day ago (251+ words) The state's first case of bird flu for 2026 has been detected in an eastern Oklahoma backyard flock. The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was found in a small backyard flock of 43 chickens in Wagoner County. Because the illness is contagious…...
After decades, federal judge issues cleanup plan in Oklahoma poultry pollution lawsuit
4+ mon, 3+ week ago (644+ words) On Friday, a federal judge ordered poultry companies to pay cleanup costs for the Illinois River Watershed in the latest ruling in the State of Oklahoma's decades-long poultry lawsuit. The order also tells the companies to pay penalties to the…...
Tyson says no new Oklahoma poultry contracts unless state eases up on pollution lawsuit
5+ mon, 1+ week ago (730+ words) It's been about two years since a federal judge ruled on a decades-spanning lawsuit that Arkansas-based poultry companies are responsible for polluting the Illinois River and Lake Tenkiller. The judge ruled in Oklahoma's favor and instructed the parties to reach…...
Protections for the lesser prairie chicken have ended. What does that mean for Oklahoma's population?
6+ mon, 3+ week ago (1401+ words) The wind whirls through the waist-high grass and between buildings as Cara Brown treads around the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville. "Prairie chickens in general are at a decline," Brown said. "So, you hear a lot of…...
Minnesota turkey farmers use lasers to scare away migrating birds
7+ mon, 2+ week ago (70+ words) Migrating birds can be a pleasant seasonal sight, but they're a bird flu threat to turkey farmers. Minnesota turkey farmers use lasers to scare away migrating birds Migrating birds can be a pleasant seasonal sight, but they're a bird flu…...
Poultry companies argue they should not have to pay Oklahoma for water pollution
9+ mon, 1+ week ago (304+ words) Although the lawsuit was filed in 2005 and argued in court in 2010, Judge Gregory K. Frizzell just ruled poultry companies are responsible for the pollution in 2023. Since then, the state and the companies " Tyson, Cobb-Vantress, Simmons, Peterson Farms, Cargill, Cal-Maine and George's…...