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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Rio Grande basin, a binational water resource, |
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is faced with serious environmental challenges due to increasing |
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development along the river in both Mexico and the United States; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, A vital source of water for municipalities, |
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industry, agriculture, and Native American tribes, the Rio Grande |
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also supports nationally significant ecosystems for fish and |
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wildlife; along the river, the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico and |
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Texas is home to tremendous biodiversity; and |
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WHEREAS, Nothing stated in this resolution is intended to |
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apply to the interpretation or application of any interstate |
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compact or treaty; and |
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WHEREAS, Recognizing the critical importance of the Rio |
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Grande basin, the federal government established the Rio Grande |
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Environmental Management Program under Section 5056 of the Water |
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Resources Development Act of 2007 and authorized funding of up to |
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$15 million annually for projects along the river's main stem and |
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tributaries; moreover, the Act instructed the secretary of the army |
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to direct the rehabilitation and enhancement of fish and wildlife |
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habitat in partnership with local sponsors and to implement |
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long-term monitoring, data collection and analysis, applied |
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research, and adaptive management; and |
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WHEREAS, The Rio Grande Environmental Management Program |
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authority expired in September 2011, before any funds were |
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appropriated to carry it out; since then, water quality and the |
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environment have continued to deteriorate, and the need for |
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coordinated and collaborative action has become ever more urgent; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to reauthorize |
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Section 5056 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 and to |
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appropriate sufficient funds to carry out work related to that |
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legislation; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of |
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representatives of the United States Congress, to the commanding |
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general of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, to the |
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assistant secretary of the United States Army (Civil Works), to the |
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commanders of the Albuquerque, Fort Worth, and Galveston Districts |
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of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, to the chair of the |
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Council on Environmental Quality, and to all the members of the |
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Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this resolution |
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be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to |
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the Congress of the United States of America. |