Attorney General discusses efforts to limit poultry litter

US - Attorney General Drew Edmondson told the Claremore Rotary Club on Tuesday that he wants to improve his constituents’ quality of life.

At the noon luncheon at Rogers State University’s Post Hall, he discussed possible legislation to limit the amount of poultry litter in Oklahoma’s lakes and streams as well as end-of-life issues.

A proliferation in chicken farming is a boon to those who use the litter for fertilizer, Edmondson said, but they are applying more than necessary for the crops.

“They’re putting on the land all that’s produced,” he said. Run-off is going into streams and lakes that are sources of municipal water as well as recreation, he said. The algae growth catalyzed by the litter’s presence will choke streams and even Lake Tenkiller, Edmondson said.

The lake, he said, was once a popular destination for scuba-divers, but it is no longer clear enough.

“That cost us money,” Edmondson said. “That cost us tourist dollars.”

Talks with the poultry industry were halted after what Edmondson called “good, frank talks” when he found a follow-up letter to be unresponsive and when he felt attacked by the poultry industry in the media, he said.

Source: Claremont Progress