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Photo by Karli Kaase<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n * Federal court vacates listing of lesser prairie-chicken.<\/strong>\u00a0 The US District Court for the Western District of Texas had vacated the Endangered Species Act listing of the lesser prairie chicken.\u00a0 I will have a full blog post explaining the ruling in detail on Monday.\u00a0 [Read article here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n * Federal court upholds emissions reporting exception for farms.<\/strong>\u00a0 The United States District Court for the District of Columbia recently upheld a law exempting farms and livestock operations from reporting air emissions in Rural Empowerment Association for Community Help v. US EPA<\/em>.\u00a0 [Read Order here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n * Groundwater battle brewing in East Texas.<\/strong>\u00a0 One of the biggest news stories in Texas is a groundwater battle in East Texas.\u00a0 Dallas investor, Kyle Bass, owns ranches in East Texas where he seeks to drill wells and potentially produce groundwater to sell to purchasers in and around the Metroplex.\u00a0 Bass proposes to drill wells in three counties, two of which have Groundwater Conservation Districts.\u00a0 The third, Houston County, has no such district regulating groundwater withdrawals.\u00a0 Lawsuits have been filed challenging the GCD’s handling of the permit application.\u00a0 The dispute found its way to Austin, where hearings have been held and at least one bill has proposed re-thinking the approach to groundwater law in Texas. [Read articles here<\/a> and here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n * Muleshoe Wildlife Refuge will not expand.<\/strong>\u00a0 Last month, the US Fish and Wildlife Service withdrew the Land Protection Plan, which would have allowed the Muleshoe Wildlife Refuge to expand its size through voluntary land acquisitions within the expanded boundary created by the Plan.\u00a0 The Refuge is currently 6,440 acres, and the Plan would have increased the area within which it could acquire land to 700,000 acres.\u00a0 Critics of the Plan, including\u00a0 Reps. Jodey Arrington and Ronny Jackson called it a “land grab.”\u00a0 [Read article here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n * Cotton Companion Podcast breaks down newly proposed dicamba label.<\/strong>\u00a0 As we mentioned in our last Weekly Round Up, the EPA\u00a0 has proposed approving new labels for the over-the-top dicamba products to be used in soybeans and cotton.\u00a0 Cotton Companion walks through the details of the newly proposed labels and what will happen next.\u00a0 [Listen here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n * Do you have the courage to make your family uncomfortable?<\/strong>\u00a0 This was a catchy title to an important article on farm and ranch estate and succession planning by Mike Downey.\u00a0 [Read article here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n *\u00a0 Update on the Cedar the show goat case in California.<\/strong>\u00a0 There is an update to a case we have followed for a couple of years involving a show goat in California.\u00a0 To read our initial blog post on this case, click here<\/a>. In the end, the County defendants settled the case, agreeing to pay the goat owner $300,000.\u00a0 Recently, a federal judge ruled that the remaining defendants, including the fair, fair managers, and the winning bidder at the auction were found to be immune from suit.\u00a0 [Read Opinion here<\/a> and article here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n Upcoming Programs<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The next two weeks will be fast and furious!\u00a0 Here is a rundown:<\/p>\n To see all of my upcoming programs, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n