Two Decades, One Lawsuit: Stitt Says Drummond Dragged Oklahoma Chicken Farmers Through Mud

After nearly 20 years in the courts, Oklahoma’s longest-running environmental lawsuit may finally be heading toward the finish line—but Governor Kevin Stitt isn’t celebrating. Instead, he’s pointing fingers at Attorney General Gentner Drummond, arguing that a proposed multimillion-dollar settlement in the poultry phosphorus pollution case should have been reached long ago.

The lawsuit traces back to 2005, when then-Attorney General Drew Edmondson filed against several poultry companies over allegations that poultry litter contributed to phosphorus pollution in the Illinois River Watershed. Two decades later, the case remains unresolved—and according to Stitt, that’s precisely the problem. The governor has been calling for a negotiated settlement for years, and now that Drummond has finally put one on the table, Stitt is saying the damage to Oklahoma’s family-owned chicken farmers has already been done.

“His delay tactics and theatrics were clearly unnecessary and harmed real Oklahomans in an attempt to benefit his trial attorney supporters,”Stitt said in a statement. The governor’s frustration centers on what he views as a preventable two-decade stalemate. He points to earlier calls from his office and letters urging Drummond to pursue settlement negotiations—pleas he says were ignored. Now, with a proposed agreement finally in hand, Stitt worries the damage extends beyond the courtroom. He contends the settlement could create a“regulatory checkerboard”that opens the door to additional lawsuits targeting Oklahoma’s agriculture industry.

The settlement still needs court approval, but it would represent a major milestone in ending one of the state’s most protracted legal battles. For the chicken farmers caught in the middle—operating under years of uncertainty and threats—it’s a bittersweet moment. Victory might be near, but at what cost?

The broader tension here reflects a genuine split over how to balance environmental protection with agricultural livelihoods. Drummond’s office hasn’t publicly responded to Stitt’s criticism, but the philosophical divide is clear: should aggressive litigation drive environmental compliance, or should negotiation protect both the land and the farmers working it? For Lawton’s ag community and those across southwest Oklahoma with ties to the poultry industry, that answer matters enormously.