Pruitt, STIR Work to Protect Illinois River Watershed
Oklahoma, Arkansas agree on pact to study Illinois River
BY CURTIS KILLMAN World Staff Writer
Thursday, February 21, 2013
A group dedicated to protecting the Illinois River is expressing guarded optimism over a water-quality pact that was hammered out in secret between the states of Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Officials with the Tahlequah-based group Save the Illinois River Inc. said that after discussing terms of the agreement with Attorney General Scott Pruitt and his staff on Tuesday, they believe that the pact will “protect Oklahoma’s interests in the Illinois River watershed.”
“It’s not a perfect agreement, but it’s better than we had hoped for,” Robert Kellogg, an attorney for the group, known as STIR, said in a statement.
Pruitt announced Wednesday that the agreement between Oklahoma and Arkansas to study the Illinois River’s water quality had been finalized.