The US Supreme Court has issued a 5-4 ruling regarding the allocation of the Rio Grande's waters among Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. The ruling held that a proposed consent decree, which aimed to resolve the water dispute and codify a methodology for determining each state's water allocation, could not be approved as it would dispose of federal claims without the government's consent. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, writing for the majority, stated that Texas and New Mexico had agreed to the proposed decree, but the United States opposed it, arguing that it would undermine federal claims regarding New Mexican groundwater pumping. In dissent, Justice Neil Gorsuch warned that the federal government's aggressive stance could devastate New Mexico's economy. Attorney General Ken Paxton responded to the decision, criticizing the Biden Administration for preventing the resolution of the water dispute between the states.
“But the United States opposes the proposed consent decree, contending that it would dispose of the Federal Government’s claims that New Mexican groundwater pumping is violating the compact,” she added. “We agree with the United States.” https://t.co/FpIEp3k3aI
Attorney General Ken Paxton Responds to SCOTUS Decision Allowing the Biden Administration to Prevent Resolution of Water Dispute Between States: https://t.co/G5vgM5p8bh
“Texas and New Mexico have agreed to a proposed consent decree that would resolve this case and codify a methodology for determining each state’s allocation of the Rio Grande’s waters,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, writing for the majority. https://t.co/FpIEp3k3aI
The US Supreme Court in a 5-4 ruling held that a consent decree that would allocate the Rio Grande's waters between Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado would wrongly if approved dispose of claims raised by the federal government without its consent https://t.co/CwCHIBm0NM https://t.co/soM7ekT2MB
Gorsuch, dissenting: "the United States now seeks to advance a theory about how water should be distributed between Texas and New Mexico so aggressive that New Mexico fears it could devastate its economy."