Category Archives: Water Law

New Water Disclosure Form Important for Landowners Buying or Selling Property

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As of July 2026, the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) adopted a new form requiring disclosure of certain water information in many land sales transactions.  This is a significant change, and it is critical issue of which landowners, potential  land purchasers, real estate agents, and attorneys must be aware. This development highlights something we have discussed on this blog many times: water can be one of the most valuable and complicated assets associated with Texas land. What Is It? TREC’s new Seller’s Disclosure about Groundwater and Surface Water… Read More →

Basics of Texas Water Law

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I recently did a presentation for a great webinar series called Water Wednesdays, hosted by John O’Connell, a Coastal and Marine County Extension Agent. We did a basic overview of Texas water laws–certainly a hot topic around the state right now! You can watch the recording of the presentation. Additionally, we do have a handbook chapter on Texas Water Law available in our Owning Your Piece of Texas handbook.   We also have a podcast water law playlist.

September Monthly Round Up

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The ag law news continues to keep us busy during the month of September! * State of Texas takes action on data center projects.  Over the past couple of weeks, there have been a couple of major developments regarding the State of Texas and data centers. In August, Governor Abbott ordered the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to audit all data centers undergoing ERCOT’s interconnection process to ensure that the data center development does not jeopardize the reliability of Texas’ electric… Read More →

July Monthly Round Up

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July 2026 may be the most active month I remember when it comes to agricultural law news.  We have chosen some of the most important stories to include below. FTC and John Deere reach settlement in right to repair antitrust lawsuit. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), along with five states (AZ, IL, MI, MN, WI), have agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit against John Deere.  The settlement will require John Deere to provide farmers and independent repair shops with the same equipment repair resources and software provided to… Read More →

June Monthly Round Up

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Happy Monday!  We hope everyone is having a great summer.  While many folks are taking time off and vacation, that has not been the case for agricultural law news around the country.  Let’s look at some of the biggest stories for the month of June. * United States Supreme Court issues ruling in Monsanto v. Durnell finding state law labeling claims pre-empted.  Last week, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Durnell v. Monsanto.  You read about this case previously here.  The Court ruled that Mr…. Read More →

March 2026 Monthly Round Up

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March has been another busy month for agricultural law news around the country.  Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories. * House Ag Committee passes Farm Bill 2.0.  Earlier this month, the United States House Committee on Agriculture passed the “Farm Bill 2.0,” formally titled the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.  The bill will now proceed to the full House. The vote was 34-17 with 7 Democrats voting with 27 Republicans on the Committee.  Key provisions of the bill relate to prohibiting… Read More →

November 21, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been a remarkably busy few weeks for agricultural law around the country.  Here are some of the biggest stories in the news. * Government shutdown ends, Farm Bill programs extended. After 43 days, the federal government has re-opened.  Included in the Continuing Resolution to fund the government through January 2026 was language that will extend the existing Farm Bill programs for another 12 months. [Read article here.] * New WOTUS Rule proposed.  As I have reported numerous times over the past decade, yet again, the Environmental Protection Agency… Read More →

September 12, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been another couple of busy weeks for agricultural law news around the country.  Let’s get caught up. *Federal judge dismisses challenge to Texas’ new foreign ownership law.  A federal judge in the Southern District of Texas has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of SB 17, the law recently passed by the Texas Legislature prohibiting citizens, businesses and governments from certain countries from owning real property in Texas.  The court held that the plaintiffs, three Chinese citizens, lacked standing to bring their claims as they are… Read More →

August 29, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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We are here with our last weekly round up for the month of August.  Things have not slowed down in the world of agricultural law. *EPA extends comment period for dicamba registrations.  The EPA has extended the comment period on the three over-the-top dicamba registrations to September 6, 2025.  [Read article here.  Comment here.] *Texas’ most infamous groundwater lawsuits article published.  The Texas Water Resources Institute published a great article outlining Texas’ most infamous groundwater lawsuits.  If you’re into Texas water law, you don’t want to miss this! … Read More →

August 15, 2025 Weekly Round Up

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It has been a big few weeks on the agricultural law front!  We’ve got updates on several cases we’ve been following and news on new lawsuits around the country. * Federal court vacates listing of lesser prairie-chicken.  The US District Court for the Western District of Texas had vacated the Endangered Species Act listing of the lesser prairie chicken.  I will have a full blog post explaining the ruling in detail on Monday.  [Read article here.] * Federal court upholds emissions reporting exception for farms.  The United States… Read More →