in Re Sustainable Texas Oyster Resource Management, L.L.C.

This appeal pits two government entities asserting influence over oyster production in and around Galveston Bay. The Chambers-Liberty Counties Navigation District ("District") leased submerged land to Sustainable Texas Oyster Resource Management, L.L.C., ("STORM") for oyster production. The State of Texas sued the District and STORM, seeking to invalidate the lease under the theory that Texas law affords the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ("Department"), not the District, the sole power to decide who may and may not cultivate oysters in the disputed area. The State also sought monetary…