OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. — An Oklahoma state Senate committee recently passed a proposed bill that looks to protect poultry producers in the state from legal action stemming from waste concerns.

The latest version of House Bill 4118 states that poultry growers, operators, integrators and waste applicators would receive “statutory immunity from nuisance liability” if the companies can show they follow a nutrient management plan approved by the state.

The bill passed in a full House vote in February with a 68-28 vote. 

Under the current Oklahoma Registered Poultry Feeding Operations Act, discharge of poultry waste into state waters is prohibited. Those provisions would be amended with this latest update.

“It’s a great day to celebrate a grassroots victory! HB 4118 passed the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Affairs with a vote of 8-1 today,” The Oklahoma Farm Bureau posted on X on April 1. “A big thanks to the Farm Bureau members who contacted their legislators to help HB 4118 get one step closer to becoming law.”

A few weeks ago, the proposed bill received opposition from five Native American tribes on the issue.