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 it's 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 Obama's health care reform legislation. They questioned the constitutionality as well as the provisions in the Senate's version of the bill. Further, he reiterated his support if and when lawsuits were filed, specifically any that included Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's 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 what's in story for Edmondson now? It's 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 Attorney's 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 it's not likely he'll remain out of that light for long.
