Gov. Stitt signs bill into law giving ‘immunity’ to poultry companies

Gov. Stitt signs bill into law giving ‘immunity’ to poultry companies polluting OK waterways

/https://investigatemidwest.org/2024/06/10/oklahoma-governor-signs-bill-shielding-poultry-companies-from-lawsuits-over-chicken-litter-pollution/

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he was “very excited” to sign into law a bill that shields poultry corporations from lawsuits over pollution caused by chicken waste, which for decades has led to high rates of phosphorus and E. coli in the state’s eastern waterways. 

Senate Bill 1424 prevents lawsuits against poultry companies over chicken waste pollution as long as the poultry farm has an approved waste disposal plan with the state. 

The new law comes after a nearly two-decade-long legal battle between the state and several poultry companies, including Tyson Foods, over pollution in Oklahoma’s Illinois River Watershed.