States spend big money in the Texas v. New Mexico Supreme Court fight
The state governments of Texas and New Mexico have spent more than $30 million combined on legal fees in the fight over Rio Grande water, which is now before the United States Supreme Court.
Invoices and contracts from both attorneys general offices show the states think that water is worth fighting over as Texas has doled out $21.1 million in legal fees to private firms since 2012, while New Mexico reportedly spent at least $9.9 million. And all signs signal the clash will continue, possibly for years.
The dispute over the Rio Grande’s water between the states and the federal government started a decade ago. In a 2011 federal lawsuit, New Mexico alleged the federal government shorted New Mexico its share of Rio Grande water, and gave too much to Texas.
It escalated when Texas filed a new lawsuit against New Mexico in the U.S. Supreme Court three years later alleging New Mexico takes more than its fair share of the water through diversion and groundwater pumping. Texas also accused New Mexico of violating the Rio Grande Compact, an 82-year-old agreement that spells out how Colorado, New Mexico and Texas split the river.
Read more: https://elpasomatters.org/2021/11/29/states-spend-big-money-in-the-texas-v-new-mexico-supreme-court-fight/