Committee approves amendment to nutrient‑management rules for poultry litter

Senator Woods offered and the committee adopted an amendment to House Bill 2,975 that restores stricken contact information for haulers and requires nutrient management plan amendments to include poultry waste removed off‑site and land‑applied for the next six years. Woods said the provision came at the Department of Agriculture's request and is intended to let current operators submit a one‑page amendment in lieu of a full renewal plan.

Tina Gunter of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry told the committee: "The nutrient management plans are the documents that poultry growers use to know how much litter to apply to the land. Every facility has to have one." Gunter said the change aims to close a loophole affecting operations that both land‑apply some litter on their property and export other litter: those mixed plans lacked the simple one‑line amendment option under prior guidance.

Senator Hicks and others pressed on whether the change would reduce environmental protections; Woods and Gunter said the bill is intended to streamline paperwork rather than weaken standards and that existing plan requirements (licenses, farm location, applicator credentials) remain part of any submitted plan. The committee adopted the amendment by voice vote and later recorded a committee vote on the bill; the record shows HB 2,975 passed committee.