Texas Scorecard by Addie Hovland September 13, 2024
Miller calls for Texas to become water self-reliant in the face of Mexico not adhering to the 1944 Treaty. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller recommends that Texas become more self-reliant when it comes to water. The South Rio Grande Valley has been suffering from water shortages in recent years because Mexico is not adhering to its 1944 Treaty with the United States.
“We’re out of water, especially in the Rio Grande Valley,” Miller told KHOU 11 recently.
The U.S. has been in a water distribution treaty with Mexico since 1944. According to the treaty, Mexico was to deliver approximately 350,000 acre-feet of water annually to the South Rio Grande Valley. In turn, the United States was to distribute 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico annually from the Colorado River.
While the U.S. has been delivering its agreed-upon part according to the treaty, Mexico has not. Mexico started to fall behind in delivering water from the Rio Grande in 2020. According to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the agricultural community in the South Rio Grande Valley was the first to suffer from insufficient water deliveries from Mexico.
In an op-ed Miller commended U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, and U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-15) for joining him in calling out Mexico for not honoring the 1944 Treaty.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/local/ag-commissioner-sid-miller-calls-for-self-reliance-amid-water-shortage/
