Stitt Calls on Attorney General to Put Oklahoma Families and Food Producers First this Thanksgiving Season

Today, Governor Kevin Stitt sent a letter formally urging Attorney General Gentner Drummond to change course in the long-running case of State of Oklahoma v. Tyson Foods, Inc., calling for a commonsense settlement that protects both the environment and Oklahoma’s food producers.

In a letter sent ahead of Thanksgiving, the Governor warns that the current litigation strategy is creating severe uncertainty for family farmers and putting Oklahoma’s local food supply at risk.

“As we approach Thanksgiving, Oklahomans are reminded not only of our shared blessings but also of the rising cost of food and the importance of safeguarding our domestic food supply,” Governor Stitt wrote, noting that the lawsuit has kept poultry producers, family farmers, and landowners “locked in uncertainty” for two decades. He pointed to reports that farms in the Illinois River Watershed are being told their chicken-growing leases may not be renewed, describing it as a “five-alarm fire” for communities in eastern Oklahoma.

The Governor criticized the Attorney General’s proposed judgment in the case, which he described as “unworkable” and “patently unreasonable” for Oklahoma families. The proposal, he noted, includes more than $100 million in fines and penalties, a decades-long special master, and a demand for 100 percent poultry litter removal with no future application of litter as a natural fertilizer—measures the Governor said would devastate local producers and threaten Oklahoma’s ability to produce food locally.

“Put simply, your proposal threatens the livelihoods of countless families in eastern Oklahoma and places Oklahoma’s ability to locally produce food at risk,” the letter states.

Governor Stitt also expressed disappointment that his attempt to formally intervene in the case was opposed by the Attorney General.

“I am concerned, based on your actions to date, that you are prioritizing the interests of out-of-state trial lawyers or ‘winning’ in a lawsuit over what is best for our fellow Oklahomans—those who grow our food and those who face ever-rising prices at the grocery store,” he wrote. The Governor emphasized that “endless mediation and retroactive enforcement serve neither Oklahoma consumers nor our agricultural backbone” and said “this moment calls for decisive leadership.”

In the letter, Governor Stitt outlines the type of resolution he would pursue if allowed to participate directly in the proceedings. He said he would seek an agreement with the poultry industry for a reasonable amount of litter removal in the Illinois River Watershed rather than an all-or-nothing, blanket approach and would focus on enforcement mechanisms that do not bankrupt regional family-owned businesses.

He further proposes that any monetary recovery be structured with legislative coordination and used to support a compliance audit program, with the goal of balancing “protection of our natural environment, as well as protection of Oklahoma farmers and consumers.”

Governor Stitt concluded by reiterating his willingness to help broker a solution and by urging Attorney General Drummond to return to the negotiating table.

 “Oklahomans deserve certainty in their livelihoods and affordable, locally grown food and an agreement that offers both environmental security and economic stability for generations to come,” he wrote.

The full letter can be seen here.