AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has praised state Sen. Adam Hinojosa for his involvement in the Mexico water debt issue.
Hinojosa, R-Corpus Christi, passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 13, which urges the State Department and the International Boundary & Water Commission to ensure that Mexico complies with a 1944 U.S.-Mexico water sharing treaty.
"I commend Senator Adam Hinojosa and the Texas Senate for taking decisive action to address Mexico’s ongoing failure to meet its water obligations under the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty,” Miller said.
“The passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 13 sends a strong and clear message that Texas will not stand by while our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities suffer from water shortages. Agriculture is the backbone of the Rio Grande Valley’s economy, and ensuring a reliable water supply is critical to protecting the livelihoods of the hardworking men and women who feed and clothe our state and nation.”
Miller said it is “encouraging” to see Texas officials stepping up to “finally address the long-overlooked water crisis.”
Miller continued: “Water is not a partisan issue—it is a fundamental necessity for agriculture, industry, and everyday life. I urge House Speaker Dustin Burrows and the Texas House to pass this resolution and call on the International Boundary and Water Commission to take immediate diplomatic action to ensure Mexico meets its treaty obligations.”
Miller added: “Texas farmers deserve certainty, and they cannot afford to wait. Every drop of water matters, and we must keep fighting to protect our agricultural heritage and rural communities."
Hinojosa spoke about SCR 13 at a recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs.
“Thank you, Chairman Perry and members of the committee. I appreciate the opportunity to lay out SCR 13, which urges the State Department and the International Boundary & Water Commission to ensure that Mexico complies with the 1944 treaty regarding shared Water Resources established over eight decades ago,” Hinojosa said.
‘The 1944 water treaty outlines the allocation of water from the Colorado River, Tijuana River and the Rio Grande. Under its provisions, Mexico is obligated to deliver 1.7 5-million-acre feet of water to the United States over five year cycles, averaging 350,000 acre feet annually. This water is crucial for agricultural, municipal and industrial purposes, particularly in Texas.”
Hinojosa said many of his colleagues on the committee will remember recent headlines about the last sugar mill in Texas closing due to a lack of water. The mill, in Santa Rosa, was in Hinojosa’s district.
“It closed after more than 50 years of operation due to the ongoing water supply issues. It's a real, real problem, and Mexico has not met its water delivery obligations in recent cycles,” Hinojosa said.
“As of mid-2024, Mexico had delivered only about 425,000-acre feet, approximately 25% of its obligation for the five-year period ending in October of 2025. These shortfalls and water deliveries has had profound consequences for not only my district, but for the rest of the state.”
Hinojosa added: “So… this resolution just basically urges the State Department and the United States to ensure that Mexico complies with its 1944 water treaty.”
State Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, chairs the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs. Perry said he supported SCR 13.
“It’s a good bill. I've been involved in those conversations… when you meet with Mexico authorities that have the authority to release those waters on their side… those meetings would lead to a lot of promises that absolutely were not adhered to.”
Perry said the U.S. needs to be “kind of sensitive” to the situation in Mexico. “The last time they tried to release water they had riots and people were killed. I believe farmers were pretty upset about it. So, politically, they're in a vice that they can't really address.”
Perry praised the work of IBWC Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner.
“She's really, really engaged, and really has taken a very proactive and more aggressive tone and tenor with the Mexico authorities,” Perry said. “She was able to get a Minute into the 1944 Treaty, which is basically an amendment, and under that, it gave them some more clarity on how they could release water throughout the process, a little bit easier and not get so far behind.”
Perry continued: “So, to her credit, she is a breath of fresh air. She's done a great job, and she does represent the country in a different format.”
The only problem, Perry said, is there is no enforcement mechanism in the Minute. “That’s the problem.
Perry urged President Trump to include water deliveries to the U.S. in his discussions about tariffs and trade when he meets Mexican President Sheinbaum.
“It would be nice to include water release under the 1944 treaty in those tariff negotiations so that we could get some relief in the Valley, because that's really, it seems like, what gets their attention the most,” Perry said.
“So, it's good. I'm glad you (Hinojosa) brought it (SCR 13) forward. It is something, if the legislature has some purview, to give a nudge, it's a great place to be. But Texas doesn't have a very big role in those federal treaties. But she (Giner) has done a really good job of getting it raised to a different level.”
