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Drew Edmondsons Legacy

By Donna McGill When Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson opted not to run for another term, he knew hed be passing on the torch of a years-long battle with poultry companies, including Tyson Foods, to whoever his successor would be. His goal was to keep at least thirteen poultry companies from polluting Oklahomas waters. Learn more about the AG Edmondson and what his plans are now that hes looking forward to days out of the AGs office.

Drew Edmondson, an Oklahoma native and the current Attorney General of his home state, was re-elected a record four times. He decided to shoot for the governors office most recently, but was defeated by Republican Mary Fallin. While his time in office wasnt without controversy, he made his mark with many positive changes for his state. One of those efforts includes an ongoing lawsuit in which he sought to stop poultry producers from dumping waste into the Illinois River watershed. After years, at least five at this point, of court battles, in 2009, a federal appeals court agreed to hear arguments. Edmondson named 13 poultry companies, all out of Arkansas, in his lawsuit. His claims included they were polluting the water and said Tyson Foods was one of the biggest contributors to this pollution. Each winter and spring, these companies continued to dump massive amounts of animal waste (this is when they cleaned out thousands of poultry houses) and with each passing year, Edmondson insisted it was only growing worse. Each year, too, summer would follow, complete with swimmers, skiers and campers. Unfortunately, the cases remain unresolved. The new AG, Scott Pruitt, is already raising questions since its come to light his acceptance of thousands of dollars in campaign funds from several of the poultry

companies named in the lawsuit. Pruitt has assured the media and his supporters that he will approach it with fairness in mind. Edmondson also joined with at least fourteen Republican Attorney Generals when they came together in late 2009 to question President Obamas health care reform legislation. They questioned the constitutionality as well as the provisions in the Senates version of the bill. Further, he reiterated his support if and when lawsuits were filed, specifically any that included Senate Majority Leader Harry Reids deal with Nebraska. The agreement would give Nebraska certain exemptions from Medicaid expansions that would cost the federal government (read: taxpayers) more than $100,000 over the next decade. So whats in story for Edmondson now? Its likely he will go into private practice, which is what he was doing prior to entering the political arena in the mid 1990s. He remains a member in good standing with the Oklahoma state bar, the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council and also served as President for the National Association of Attorneys General between 2002 and 2003. He will continue to live with his wife in Muskogee, Oklahoma and says he looks forward to taking a step out of the spotlight for a while. Those who know him, however, say its not likely hell remain out of that light for long.

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