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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Mexico's failure to fulfill its water deliveries to |
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the United States according to the stipulations of a 1944 treaty |
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between the two countries significantly harms the interests of |
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Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, The Rio Grande is both an interstate and |
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international river arising in the mountains of Colorado and |
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flowing in a southerly direction through New Mexico, where it forms |
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the border between the United States and Mexico beginning near |
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El Paso; the river is a shared and vital resource providing |
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municipal water for millions of Texans and irrigation water for |
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hundreds of thousands of acres in Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Below Fort Quitman, the waters of the Rio Grande are |
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apportioned to the United States and to Mexico per the terms of the |
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1944 Treaty, "Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana |
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Rivers and of the Rio Grande"; Article IV of the treaty requires |
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that inflows from certain named tributaries of the Rio Grande be |
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apportioned one-third to the United States and two-thirds to |
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Mexico; and |
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WHEREAS, The 1944 Treaty specifically requires that "this |
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third shall not be less, as an average amount in cycles of five |
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consecutive years, than 350,000 acre-feet (431,721,000 cubic |
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meters) annually"; Mexico is allowed to deliver less than this |
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annual average amount of water during a five-year cycle only in the |
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event of an extraordinary drought, and not all years in a delivery |
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cycle reflect extraordinary drought conditions; and |
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WHEREAS, Many municipal, industrial, and agricultural water |
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users in Texas rely almost exclusively on these waters from the Rio |
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Grande for their water supplies; it is thus critical to the state's |
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interests that, during years in which extraordinary drought is not |
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present, Mexico take all necessary measures to address accumulated |
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water delivery deficits; and |
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WHEREAS, Mexico has failed to comply with its obligations |
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under this treaty regularly over the last three decades, and it is |
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now significantly behind in fulfilling them; in the current cycle, |
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Mexico is 984,814 acre-feet in arrears; and |
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WHEREAS, During the past 10 years, Mexico has expanded crop |
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production in Chihuahua, resulting in the use of water volumes |
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exceeding the annual average Mexico agreed to deliver under the |
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treaty; this increase has directly impacted water availability for |
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downstream users in the RGV, creating economic and environmental |
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concerns; the water reserves in the Amistad and Falcon reservoirs |
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are at historically low levels; shortages have disrupted key |
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sectors, leading to the loss of sugarcane production, significant |
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reductions in fruit and vegetable farming, and stalled housing |
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developments; the only sugar mill in Texas closed permanently in |
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2024; moreover, rural municipalities have been forced to purchase |
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water from outside districts, incurring up to 60 percent higher |
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monthly costs; and |
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WHEREAS, The 1944 Treaty requires that the United States |
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Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, which |
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is a subdivision of the United States Department of State, ensure |
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compliance with the terms of the 1944 Treaty; and |
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WHEREAS, The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has |
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conveyed and communicated these issues and concerns to the |
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International Boundary and Water Commission, and it is vital that |
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the IBWC and the state department recognize the critical |
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socioeconomic importance of this issue; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the U.S. Department of State and the |
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United States Section of the International Boundary and Water |
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Commission to take appropriate action to ensure that Mexico |
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complies with the 1944 Treaty regarding shared water resources and |
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that they take all necessary steps to make deliveries to the United |
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States a priority during annual water allocation deliberations; |
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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 U.S. secretary of state and to the |
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commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission, |
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United States and Mexico. |