"The Supreme Court ruled today that Texas has no right to Oklahoma's water under a 1980 interstate compact in a case seen as having broad implications in the arid western United States."
"Justices unanimously held in Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann that Oklahoma laws effectively limiting the ability of an out-of-state entity to tap its resources are not pre-empted by the Red River Compact.
The district, which provides water to the rapidly growing Fort Worth, Texas, area, argued that the compact, which was ratified by Congress, gave it access to 25 percent of the water in one of the river's subbasins regardless of state lines. The Red River flows from New Mexico across the Oklahoma-Texas line, into Arkansas and through Louisiana.
The case has been closely watched for potential impacts on nearly 30 interstate compacts that govern increasingly precious water resources."
Jeremy P. Jacobs reports for Greenwire June 13, 2013.
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