Texas yesterday asked the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma to allow that state to file a brief in support of Tarrant’s position. Claiming Oklahoma water law is unconstitutional, Tarrant is seeking to force the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to allow the Texas water district access to waters within Oklahoma’s borders. The Texas brief asserts Oklahoma is “enforcing certain Oklahoma water laws in a manner that discriminates against the State of Texas’s (sic) citizens and political subdivisions.”

Edmondson, who has been fighting Tarrant’s water grab, said his office has informed the Texas attorney general that Oklahoma opposes their brief. Edmondson said Oklahoma will ask the court to block the Texas brief.

“Our state is blessed with an abundant supply of clean water and we must protect this precious resource from outside groups who want what we have,” Edmondson said. “The OWRB is working toward completion of a comprehensive water plan to determine what our state’s needs will be for many decades into the future. Until this plan is in place, we will work to keep the wolves from the door.”

Edmondson said Texas is not a party to this lawsuit and should not be allowed to interfere.

“I know and respect Attorney General Abbott,” Edmondson said, “but I disagree with his legal assessment that the State of Texas should have a voice in this matter.”

The attorney general is fighting a similar federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in which the City of Hugo wants to sell Oklahoma water to the City of Irving, Texas.