A bipartisan group of Texas Congressional members sent a letter to President Barack Obama this week, asking for his administration’s intervention in the 1944 Water Treaty between the United States and Mexico.
The letter states the group is frustrated by Mexico’s lack of commitment to regularly deliver water to the United States as required by the water sharing treaty.
“We are approaching a critical juncture and feel strongly that the matter must be elevated from the IBWC (International Boundary and Water Commission) to the highest levels of the United States government in order to mitigate further harm to the U.S. and avoid detrimental impact to the relationship between our two countries,” a portion of the letter states.
The letter is signed by 35 members of the Texas delegation. On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, sent it to the president.
Under the 1944 water sharing treaty between Mexico and the United States, Mexico is to deliver 1,750,000 acre-feet of water every five years. The current five-year cycle began in October 2010 and ends in October 2015, which means Mexico has until then to deliver the water it owes, officials said.
The letter further states that immediate action is needed by the U.S. State Department and the Obama Administration to resolve the impasse.
“We strongly urge you to elevate further negotiations on this matter beyond the IBWC and toward direct engagement with the government of Mexico, and take all other necessary and appropriate action to secure a lasting commitment from Mexico to resolve the current deficit without delay and reach a permanent agreement that better reflects a shared responsibility to U.S. water users,” the letter reads.
The IBWC has been trying to resolve the issue and recently developed a model to show how the water should be distributed equally and how it isn’t, said Carlos Rubinstein, chairman of the Texas Water Development Board, in an earlier interview.
Although the model was shared with Mexico, the responses they provided to the U.S. were “not very promising,” he said.
Vela and Cornyn have drafted bills in both the House and the Senate for fiscal year 2015 appropriations for the State Department that directs the department to engage the Mexican government to push for the adoption of a water-delivery schedule. The bills also require the State Department to report to Congress on why Mexico has not yet agreed to regular water deliveries.
