By Billy Howe

We heard it when Texas Farm Bureau fought for private property rights and eminent domain reform.  We heard it when we fought for groundwater rights and surface water rights. Lately, we have heard it all again as we fight for landowners over common carrier pipelines: “What Texas Farm Bureau wants is just going to enrich trial lawyers and cause ‘thousands of lawsuits.’”

What complete nonsense!

Texas Farm Bureau is fighting for the constitutionally-guaranteed right of landowners to protect their property.

That’s lawsuit abuse?

By Billy Howe
TFB State Legislative Director

Every session of the Texas Legislature, bills are filed to provide more state oversight of groundwater management. This session is no exception.

Water marketers and water supply entities come to Austin and tell their stories of how they have been mistreated by local districts, or how the policies of the district don’t recognize the realities of building multi-million dollar water projects.

By Billy Howe
TFB State Legislative Director

On May 29, Republicans and Democrats will go to the polls to elect their party’s nominee for the general election in November. But, in reality, they are electing the person who will win the general election and be your next State Representative, State Senator or Congressman.

Political reality is that every 10 years the Texas Legislature redraws the districts for these offices in a fashion where the outcome of the general election is pre-determined. Congressional and state legislative districts are so weighted either Republican or Democrat that the general election is meaningless.

By Regan Beck

An outstanding year for property owners and property rights in the Legislature and the courts includes important steps to help safeguard private property rights in Texas groundwater. Last year’s crippling drought showed us just how critical water is in Texas.

Some say the solution to water shortages is to take Texas groundwater rights away from property owners and give them to the state. Sometimes, those suggesting this have a vested interest in the outcome. They’ve said that property owners only own their water after it’s pumped out of the ground. 

By Billy Howe
TFB State Legislative Director

The long-awaited decision from the Texas Supreme Court on the Edwards Aquifer Authority v. Day McDaniel makes it clear that the landowner owns the groundwater in place as part of their land.

Prior to the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling, landowners were in jeopardy of losing the critical legal balance between governmental regulation and private property rights. It is a balance that applies to all private property rights, not just groundwater. Whether is a federal, state or local regulation, landowners have a legal right to challenge unreasonable regulation of their property.