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Poultry companies take case to the public"There is no doubt in my mind that we can make the case in court that poultry litter is the predominate cause of pollution of the rivers and the lake, and there's not a doubt in my mind that they know that," Edmondson said. TULSA, Okla. (AP)--Poultry companies accused of polluting Oklahoma's watershed are taking their case against Attorney General Drew Edmondson outside the courtroom and bringing it to the general public. The companies plan to advertise in newspapers, primarily in northeastern Oklahoma, to challenge what they claim are inaccurate assertions by Edmondson. The attorney general sued the 13 poultry companies in federal court last year, claiming that poultry litter is polluting the Illinois River watershed. "The attorney general continues trying his case in the court of public opinion by spreading exaggerations, innuendo and untruths," Janet Wilkerson, a spokeswoman for the poultry companies, said in a statement. Edmondson said the ads are another attempt to derail the lawsuit. "There is no doubt in my mind that we can make the case in court that poultry litter is the predominate cause of pollution of the rivers and the lake, and there's not a doubt in my mind that they know that," Edmondson said. "That's why they've tried to stop this in the Oklahoma Legislature," he said. "That's why they've tried to stop it in Congress, and that's why they are running these ads." The federal lawsuit claims that poultry litter, when applied excessively as fertilizer to fields, ends up in streams and lakes when it rains. Nutrients in the fertilizer cause excessive algae growth, which can lead to taste and odor problems in drinking water supplies. The poultry companies, using a fact-versus-fiction format in five of the ads, terms as "fiction" the claims that poultry production causes harm to the drinking water in the Illinois River watershed and that the drinking water is "safer in fact, than the drinking water in many other areas of Oklahoma where poultry is not produced." Edmondson agrees that the drinking water is safe after it is treated. "Water is safe when it comes out of the tap," Edmondson said. "That doesn't mean it wasn't harmed when it went into your water treatment plant. The fact that you can fix the harm through excessive chlorination--you're talking apples and oranges." Edmondson said he never made several of the statements attributed to him in the ads. One ad claims that Edmondson has said poultry companies are dumping poultry litter into streams and lakes. "We're saying it gets into the rivers and lakes by land application," Edmondson said. Another ad terms as fiction a supposed claim by the attorney general that the poultry industry "is refusing to haul poultry litter out of Oklahoma watersheds." The poultry companies say they have hauled thousands of tons of poultry litter out of the watershed and committed hundreds of thousands of dollars to federal programs to help do so. Edmondson called the amount of litter that has been removed so far "minuscule." "I've never said they 'refused to' haul poultry litter out of Oklahoma watersheds," he said. "I've said they haven't hauled out what they need to haul out." Wilkerson said the ads will run indefinitely. "We will continue setting the record straight," she said. "And any time the attorney general makes another false statement, we will be quick to respond with a message that sets the facts straight." Date: 8/24/06
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