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The Oklahoma Chapter of the Sierra Club has announced the endorsement of Oklahoma Attorney General, Drew Edmondson, in his race for Governor.
Edmondson will speak to Norman's Red Earth group of the Sierra Club at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave. The meeting is open to the public.
"We have the most conservation minded candidate for Governor in the history of gubernatorial races in Oklahoma. Not only is Attorney General Edmondson a true conservationist, he has been active in cracking down on polluters and in making sure our water is safe for people, fish and wildlife," said Sandra Rose, Sierra Club representative to the Edmondson campaign for Governor.
Edmondson will be discussing the suit filed in 2005, on behalf of the State of Oklahoma, against more than a dozen poultry companies. The lawsuit, filed after years of negotiations, charges the poultry companies of polluting the Illinois Watershed as a result of their waste dumping practices. The trial is currently in federal court in Tulsa and is expected to last 40 to 50 days.
Edmondson was elected attorney general in 1994, and has won reelection three times with more than 60 percent of the vote.
Under his leadership, the attorney general's office has represented ratepayers in telephone, gas, and electric rate cases and defended the environment through public actions and behind the scenes negotiations.
Edmondson served as the 2002-2003 President of the National Association of Attorneys General, and in 2005 received the organization's highest honor: the Kelly-Wyman Award. During his tenure as president, Edmondson focused on the legal issues surrounding end-of-life health care. For his efforts, the American Medical Association honored him with the 2005 Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Public Service, the highest award the nation's largest physician organization can bestow upon a public official.
