Audio Clip
Texas Takes New Mexico To Supreme Court Over Water
Thirsty Texas is looking to its neighbor states for water. Oklahoma has been the target of Texas water grabs and now the Lone Star State is looking to the Land of Enchantment.
Texas says New Mexico is violating a water pact with too much underground pumping in the southern part of the state and sucking up the water that otherwise would end up in the Rio Grande and flow downstream.
The U.S. Solicitor General's office has now said that the State of Texas has provided enough evidence to send the dispute to the U.S. Supreme Court for resolution.
The Obama administration isn’t taking sides. It’s urging the high court to take a middle-ground approach.
However, the legal brief agrees with view of Texas in the cross-state water compact, which apportioned the waters of the Rio Grande Basin from its headwaters to Fort Quitman. And that New Mexico has a requirement to deliver a specific quantity of water.
New Mexico and Texas have been struggling with an ongoing drought and shrinking water supplies.