Agricultural News
Oklahoma Farm Bureau Cheers Supreme Court Ruling Against Texas Hopes to Confiscate Oklahoma Water
Thu, 13 Jun 2013 21:27:01 CDT
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling rejecting the state of Texas' claim to Oklahoma water is a huge win for Oklahoma citizens, said Mike Spradling, president of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. The farm group has long supported the idea of putting the state's water needs ahead of out of state interests.
"We've always believed Oklahoma has the sovereign power to the state's water resources," Spradling said.
The Supreme Court ruled that the Red River Compact, which includes Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana, does not automatically give Texas rights to water in another state. In a unanimous decision written by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court ruled that a multistate water compact signed by Texas and Oklahoma does not preempt Oklahoma statutes blocking the sale of the water.
"Water is a valuable resource for our farmers and ranchers," Spradling said. "This ruling protects our rights to the water and reinforces the mission of using Oklahoma water for Oklahoma citizens."
Texas lost each step of the way- ending in this nine to nothing decision in the US Supreme Court. In July 2010, an Oklahoma federal judge dismissed the suit, and the district appealed the case to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In September 2011, a three-judge panel upheld the lower court's dismissal, and in October 2011 the 10th Circuit denied a request for rehearing before the full court.
Click here to read the full Supreme Court opinion released in Washington.
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