TDA Files Amicus Brief in Support of Texas Landowners in Red River Land Grab (5/11/2016)

AUSTIN - The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) recently filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Wichita Falls Division, in support of Texas landowners fighting against the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) attempt to seize land along the Red River without compensation in Aderholt et al v. BLM et al.

“Agriculture is the economic backbone of small towns and rural communities across our state, and supports jobs, economic opportunity and Texas families,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said. “Protecting private property rights goes hand-in-hand with supporting a robust agriculture industry, and an attack on those rights threatens to derail the second largest economic driver in our state. The BLM’s arbitrary land grab along the Red River is bad public policy, and it’s bad for private property rights and our agriculture industry.”

Commissioner Miller continues to fight against overreaching federal policies that threaten the future of the agriculture industry in Texas. TDA is part of a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its highly criticized Waters of the U.S. rule, which also infringes on private property rights and includes significant implications for agricultural producers.

To view the amicus curiae brief for Aderholt et al v. BLM et al, click here.