[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 100 (Monday, July 22, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H5006-H5008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY WATER RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF
2001
Mrs. CUBIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2990) to amend the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources
Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000 to authorize additional
projects under that Act, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 2990
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Lower Rio Grande Valley
Water Resources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2001''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF ADDITIONAL PROJECTS UNDER THE LOWER
RIO GRANDE VALLEY WATER RESOURCES CONSERVATION
AND IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2000.
Section 4(a) of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources
Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-576;
114 Stat. 3067) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(5) In the United Irrigation District of Hidalgo County,
Texas, a pipeline and pumping system as identified in the
Sigler, Winston, Greenwood, Associates, Incorporated, study
dated January 2001.
``(6) In the Cameron County, Texas, Irrigation District No.
2, proposed improvements to Canal C, as identified in the
February 8, 2001, engineering report by Martin, Brown, and
Perez.
``(7) In the Cameron County, Texas, Irrigation District No.
2, a proposed Canal C and Canal 13 Inner Connect, as
identified in the February 12, 2001, engineering report by
Martin, Brown, and Perez.
``(8) In Delta Lake Irrigation District of Hidalgo and
Willacy Counties, Texas, proposed water conservation
projects, as identified by the AW Blair Engineering report of
February 13, 2001.
``(9) In the Hidalgo and Cameron County, Texas, Irrigation
District No. 9, a proposed project to salvage spill water
using automatic control of canal gates as identified in the
AW Blair Engineering report dated February 14, 2001.
``(10) In the Brownsville Irrigation District of Cameron
County, Texas, a proposed main canal replacement as outlined
in the Holdar-Garcia & Associates engineering report dated
February 14, 2001.
``(11) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Irrigation District
No. 16, a proposed off-district pump station project as
identified by the Melden & Hunt, Incorporated, engineering
report dated February 14, 2001.
``(12) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Irrigation District
No. 1, a proposed canal replacement of the North Branch East
Main, as outlined in the Melden & Hunt, Incorporated,
engineering analysis dated February, 2001.
``(13) In the Donna (Texas) Irrigation District, a proposed
improvement project as identified by the Melden & Hunt,
Incorporated, engineering analysis dated February 13, 2001.
``(14) In the Hudspeth County, Texas, Conservation and
Reclamation District No. 1, the Alamo Arroyo Pumping Plant
water quality project as identified by the engineering report
and drawings by Gebhard-Sarma and Associates dated July 1996
and the construction of a 1,000 acre-foot off-channel
regulating reservoir for the capture and conservation of
irrigation water, as identified in the engineering report by
AW Blair Engineering dated June 2002.
``(15) In the El Paso County, Texas, Water Improvement
District No. 1, the Riverside Canal Improvement Project Phase
I Reach A, a canal lining and water conservation project as
identified by the engineering report by AW Blair Engineering
dated June 2002.
``(16) In the Maverick County, Texas, Water Improvement and
Control District No. 1, the concrete lining project of 12
miles of the Maverick Main Canal, identified in the
engineering report by AW Blair Engineering dated June 2002.
``(17) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Irrigation District
No. 6, rehabilitation of 10.2 miles of concrete lining in the
main canal between Lift Stations Nos. 2 and 3 as identified
in the engineering report by AW Blair Engineering dated June
2002.
``(18) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Irrigation District
No. 2, Wisconsin Canal Improvements as identified in the
Sigler, Winston, Greenwood & Associates, Incorporated,
engineering report dated February 2001.
``(19) In the Hidalgo County, Texas, Irrigation District
No. 2, Lateral `A' Canal Improvements as identified in the
Sigler, Winston, Greenwood & Associates, Incorporated,
engineering report dated July 25, 2001.''.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY WATER
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT ACT OF
2000.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources Conservation
and Improvement Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-576; 114 Stat.
3065 et seq.) is further amended as follows:
(1) Section 3(a) is amended in the first sentence by
striking ``The Secretary'' and all that follows through ``in
cooperation'' and inserting ``The Secretary, acting through
the Bureau of Reclamation, shall undertake a program under
cooperative agreements''.
(2) Section 3(b) is amended to read as follows:
``(b) Project Review.--Project proposals shall be reviewed
and evaluated under the guidelines set forth in the document
published by the Bureau of Reclamation entitled `Guidelines
for Preparing and Reviewing Proposals for Water Conservation
and Improvement Projects Under P.L. 106-576', dated June
2001.''.
(3) Section 3(d) is amended by inserting before the period
at the end the following: ``, including operation,
maintenance, repair, and replacement''.
(4) Section 3(e) is amended by striking ``the criteria
established pursuant to this section'' and inserting ``the
guidelines referred to in subsection (b)''.
(5) Subsection (f) of section 3 is amended by striking ``to
prepare'' and all that follows through the end of the
subsection and inserting ``to have the Secretary prepare the
reports required under this section. The Federal share of the
cost of such preparation by the Secretary shall not exceed 50
percent of the total cost of such preparation.''.
(6) Section 3(g) is amended by striking ``$2,000,000'' and
inserting ``$8,000,000''.
(7) Section 4(b) is amended--
(A) in the first sentence by striking ``costs of any
construction'' and inserting ``total project cost of any
project''; and
(B) in the last sentence by inserting ``the actual'' before
``funds''.
(8) Section 4(c) is amended by striking ``$10,000,000'' and
inserting ``$47,000,000 (2001 dollars)''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin).
Mrs. CUBIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2990, the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources
Conservation and Improvement Act of 2001, will amend Public Law 106-
576. This legislation adds 14 new water conservation projects,
increases study authorizations from $2 million to $8 million, and
increases facility construction authorizations from $10 million to $47
million.
The Rio Grande has been severely impacted, as have most areas in the
west, by drought conditions during the last decade. Many of these
drought conditions are the worse that have ever been seen, at least
recorded. These droughts conditions have made it difficult to supply
Rio Grande water to the 7 million people who depend on it.
Implementation of significant improvements to irrigation canal delivery
systems, aggressive water conservation programs, and improved water
management are critical needs that must be taken seriously. H.R. 2990
will work within the existing framework of Public Law 106-576 to
address these critical needs.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. ORTIZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank my colleagues on the
Committee on Resources, particularly the gentleman from California (Mr.
Calvert) who has been a local hero back home in South Texas for his
interest and work on this bill. South Texas also would like to thank
the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from West
Virginia (Mr. Rahall) for their attention to our situation and
understanding, and their willingness to move this urgent bill forward.
I also want to thank the staff. We had an opportunity to travel to my
district, and we had hearings.
The South Texan who deserves great credit for House consideration
today is the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bonilla), our distinguished
appropriations cardinal whose personal involvement in this legislation
has been pivotal to our success today. The gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Bonilla) and I co-chair the House Border Caucus, and he is an important
player for all of us
[[Page H5007]]
when it comes to issues affecting the southwest border.
Mr. Speaker, nature, or El Nino or La Nina, has played a cruel joke
on Texas. After a decade of drought in South Texas, Mother Nature
dumped between 30 and 40 inches of rain on central Texas which caused a
lot of flooding and a lot of damage, none of which made its way to our
reservoirs in South Texas.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Conservation and Improvement Act of
2001 will authorize $47 million to be managed by the State of Texas to
improve the irrigation system in the South Texas area. The bill
specifies water transportation and conservation activities. It also
begins to implement some of the water conservation measures considered
in the development of the State of Texas water plan.
We have been hit hard by at least 6 years of drought, and have raced
to find ways to conserve this amount of water. We have to save as much
as we can. This bill is an outgrowth of a very serious international
treaty violation by Mexico. In 1944, the United States and Mexico
signed a water treaty to share the waters of the Rio Grande, the
Colorado, and their tributaries.
{time} 1545
Under the treaty, the United States delivers 1.5 million acre-feet of
water to Mexico from the Colorado while Mexico delivers 350,000 acre-
feet of water to the United States from tributaries and reservoirs of
the Rio Grande. I represent the Texas border communities at the
downstream of the river. The last drop and the last stop of water is in
my district.
There is very little that we can do to help south Texas water users
today. But passing this bill to authorize improvements to the existing
irrigation systems in the area will help conserve the tiny bit of water
that we do now have. The gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) led
the Committee on Resources in a hearing in south Texas. He saw and
heard firsthand the need that we have to improve the existing
infrastructure in south Texas. Californians, and others from the
American Southwest, have a special understanding of water needs and
droughts; and we will be standing together with our colleagues from
California as we try to mitigate the circumstances we now find
ourselves in.
I and all south Texas water users are deeply grateful to all the
players in the House who have heard our plea for help and have stepped
up to the plate to do what we need to do to make this horrible
situation a little better. I want to thank my good friend, the
gentlewoman for Wyoming, for being a lot of help in contributing to the
passage of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Hinojosa).
(Mr. HINOJOSA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R.
2990. I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert),
subcommittee chairman; the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), the full
committee chairman; as well as the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr.
Rahall); the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin); the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Smith); and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz) for all of
their help in moving our legislation to the House floor.
South Texas has reached a crisis stage. A decade-long drought
combined with a 1.5 million acre-feet water debt owed by Mexico has
left our water reservoirs dangerously low at only 25 percent of
capacity. As a result, south Texas farmers have lost much of their
crops. Our farmers are unable to plant new ones and are losing their
farms because bank loans are being called. The sustainable growth of
the region is in jeopardy.
Agriculture has long been a cornerstone of the south Texas economy,
and the devastating effects of the drought upon farmers are rippling
throughout the entire economy in our country. Economists have estimated
that the water shortage has cost the Texas economy almost $1 billion in
the last 10 years, and costs are now mounting at a pace of more than
$400 million annually. This means that south Texas has lost thousands
of jobs and millions of dollars in economic activity. Given our chronic
double-digit unemployment rate along the border, these are simply jobs
that we cannot afford to lose. The agricultural and economic losses are
not the only areas in which the drought has had a serious negative
effect.
The environmental negative impact has been felt as well. The Rio
Grande River no longer flows into the Gulf of Mexico, which has
adversely impacted a number of economically and ecologically important
marine species. It is quite clear that the drought, compounded by
Mexico's refusal to comply with the terms of the 1944 water treaty, is
having a devastating effect upon all aspects of our community. We must
continue our efforts to press Mexico to deliver the water that is owed
us, but we must also be more efficient in transporting what little
irrigation water we have.
In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I want to say that in his most recent
agreement with Mexico, the President has promised to fund water
conservation projects in Mexico and the U.S. The projects authorized in
our bill, H.R. 2990, are the type of conservation projects that will go
a long way towards helping us modernize our antiquated water delivery
systems on the U.S. side of the border. Currently, we lose up to 35
percent of our water to evaporation and to seepage. This legislation
would allow the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct these planned projects
that would significantly improve conservation of our scarce water
resources.
Specifically, this bill authorizes $47 million in new funding for
water conservation and infrastructure improvement projects along the
Texas/Mexico border from Brownsville to McAllen to Laredo to El Paso,
Texas.
These are badly needed financial resources that will be an important
investment in the future of the South Texas border region.
In closing, let me say that after holding several hearings, including
field hearings in Weslaco and Brownsville, Texas, this bill was
approved unanimously by both the Subcommittee on Water and Power and
the full Committee on Resources. I urge my colleagues to support H.R.
2990.
Mrs. CUBIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I would just like to point out how cruel at times Mother Nature can
be. There is flooding in Texas at the same time very nearby there is a
drought that has been going on for 6 years. I also want everyone to
know that we are very aware that there is a drought all the way across
the West. The drought conditions in my own State of Wyoming are the
worst that we have ever seen. It is that way throughout the West. Now
that we are faced with the wildfires that we have, the drought becomes
all the more significant in environmental issues and in the health of
our public lands.
This is just the beginning. I believe that the Congress will be here
to help other people in other States with the drought. But this
particular bill is very important because it involves an international
treaty and it involves water that is available, but we simply have to
be able to save and use in a more efficient way the water that is
there. In my own State, it is lack of water. Period. But the Congress
will be there to help those people as this session goes on.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz) and
add my support and the committee's support for his hard work, for the
field hearings that they have had. This bill has been vetted extremely
well through the House. It does deserve to be passed. We do need to
start dealing with the issues of the drought.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
This is truly a very bipartisan bill. We ask Members to vote for this
bill. It is very important. It will help those people who have lost a
lot of money in south Texas because they have not been able to irrigate
and grow a crop.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Bentsen).
(Mr. BENTSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R.
2990, the Lower Rio Grand Valley Water Resources Conservation and
Improvement
[[Page H5008]]
Act, legislation sponsored by our colleagues along the U.S.-Mexico
border, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa), the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Bonilla), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez), the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes),
and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).
The legislation will authorize 14 irrigation improvement projects
necessary for the continued viability and prosperity of farmers
throughout the lower Rio Grand region. Eight of these projects will
improve irrigation in Hidalgo County; three will help Cameron County;
others will help Maverick County, El Paso County, and Hudspeth County.
Farmers in the lower Rio Grand Valley are being hit hard by both an
international dispute over water obligations with Mexico and a serious
8-year drought, the longest on record in the valley region. For anyone
needing proof for this desperation of valley farmers, I advise them to
visit the mouth of the Rio Grand River where the flow has ceased to
reach the Gulf of Mexico twice in the last 2 years and often only
manages a trickle. The land in the lower Rio Grande Valley is among the
most fertile, producing cotton, grains, vegetables, citrus, including
the legendary pink grapefruit.
However, without water, farmers have accumulated billions in losses
and tens of thousands of jobs have been lost. While drought has and
always will challenge farmers, those in the lower Rio Grande Valley
have had more than 1.5 million acre feet of water, or an incredible 488
billion gallons of water, withheld from them by the Mexican state of
Chihuahua since 1992. At the same time, the state of Chihuahua has used
this U.S. water to produce crops of their own in the desert. This
violation of the 1944 U.S.-Mexico treaty regarding the Rio Grande and
Colorado Rivers is admitted by the Mexican authorities and no party
claims that the U.S. has ever failed in its reciprocal obligation to
provide water to Mexico from the Colorado River.
While I consider Mexico to be a friend and strong ally of the United
States, I have consistently argued that the State Department needs to
resolve this issue of great importance to the economy of the lower Rio
Grande Valley before moving on to other more controversial foreign
policy issues between the United States and Mexico.
The matter of Mexico's adherence to the 1944 treaty and mounting
water debt should be the Bush administration's top bilateral priority
with respect to Mexico. Unfortunately, the administration's efforts to
date have been deficient, as has been shown by the recent signing of
the wholly inadequate water deal known as Minute 308.
A minute is a clarification to an existing treaty but is not a formal
amendment. Signed by the representatives of the United States and
Mexican governments to the International Boundary and Water Commission
on June 28, 2002, Minute 308 calls for improved water infrastructure in
Mexico and the U.S., but it makes no meaningful attempt to address the
mounting water debt that Mexico is accumulating.
Farmers in the lower Rio Grande Valley, while welcoming any attention
to this issue, have overwhelmingly rejected Minute 308 as close to
useless. I am disappointed that the U.S. representatives to the
commission, who were in direct communication with high ranking
administration officials, would not force stronger action.
With each passing day of inadequate administration action, the risk
increases that this mounting debt will not be repaid, and more and more
Texas farmers watch as their crops wither and die under the hot Texas
sun.
Mr. Speaker, the twin factors of drought and politics have hit valley
farmers hard. All are praying simultaneously for a good rain and a
resolution of the dispute before the latest deadline of September 30,
2002. Even if this deadline is met, it will be too late for many. In
the meantime, valley farmers will be encouraged that this House is
coming to their aid by increasing the irrigation opportunities in the
region throughout this legislation before us today. However, the
administration needs to hear our debate today and to make sure that we
have some water to use in these important projects.
I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) for
introducing this legislation. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes''
in suspending the rules and passing H.R. 2990, the Lower Rio Grande
Valley Water Resources Conservation and Improvement Act.
Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to offer my full
support for passage of HR 2990, the Lower Rio Grande Valley Water
Resources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2001. This bill would
authorize additional projects critical to the improvement of water
quality and infrastructures in South Texas while encouraging the
federal government to focus more resources on the border region.
South Texas faces a grave water crisis. Even as counties to the north
suffer from flooding that has caused millions of dollars in damage to
businesses and homes, the border region suffers from a terrible lack of
water. It is evident that we need to take a long, hard look at our
water management practices and find new ways to improve our water
resources.
In the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, communities continue to
battle with an eight-year drought. The land is parched. The crops have
died. The Rio Grande River has literally stopped flowing into the Gulf
of Mexico. How can I express the seriousness of the situation to my
colleagues? The lack of water in South Texas has all but destroyed the
way of life for the farmers and ranchers of the region.
During this same time period, Mexico has accumulated a substantial
water deficit. Under terms of the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty, Mexico
now owes us close to 1.7 million acre-feet of water. This is water that
could have provided enormous relief to South Texas. Farmers and water
district managers had held out hope that Mexico would release a portion
of water owed so they could make it through the summer.
We were recently informed that the Administration had struck a deal
with Mexico for the release of a mere 90,000 acre-feet. As South Texans
have said, this is too little water, too late. To add insult to injury,
the agreement gives Mexico access to substantial loans without
requiring a firm payment schedule for water still owed. While we need
substantial investment on both sides of the border to improve our water
resources, we need Mexico to meet its treaty obligations to offer
immediate relief to the parched lands of the Texas Valley.
We have a real opportunity to provide some needed relief today. HR
2990 will direct badly needed resources to South Texas to improve water
quality and infrastructure. I ask for my colleagues support of this
important bill.
Mr. Ortiz. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. CUBIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2990, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________