Missouri regulators approve proposal for more chickens despite Oklahoma concerns

NEOSHO, Mo. (AP) _ An egg producer has won approval to double the number of chickens it keeps in southwest Missouri despite environmental concerns of Oklahoma officials. <br/><br/>The Missouri Department

Wednesday, November 2nd 2005, 10:49 am

By: News On 6

NEOSHO, Mo. (AP) _ An egg producer has won approval to double the number of chickens it keeps in southwest Missouri despite environmental concerns of Oklahoma officials.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is issuing a permit to Moark to increase the number of chickens it has from 2.6-million to about 5-million.

Oklahoma Environmental Secretary Miles Tolbert has expressed concerns about the expansion because streams near the chicken houses flow into the Grand Lake in northeast Oklahoma.

Tolbert's chief of staff, JD Strong says the approval is a little surprising. Strong says Tolbert expected Missouri officials to get back to him about concerns and Tolbert will now look into how those concerns were addressed, or if they were addressed.