HARLINGEN, Texas - A veteran Rio Grande Valley broadcaster has welcomed President Donald Trump’s hard line on getting Mexico to repay its water debt to the United States.
Ron Whitlock pointed out he recommended a similar course of action to the one Trump is now threatening, the day before the president was sworn into office.
“As the Rio Grande Guardian reported at the time, I asked Elon Musk to ask President Trump to issue an executive order on day two of his administration," Whitlock said. "That executive order would say, Mexico, we are still giving you water out of the Colorado River as part of our obligation under the 1944 US-Mexico Water Treaty, while Mexico is not reciprocating as is required! Effective this executive order, that water is no longer going to be provided.”
Whitlock said he was “elated” by what Trump wrote on social media this week.
Trump wrote: “Mexico continues to violate our comprehensive water treaty, and this violation is seriously hurting our beautiful Texas crops and livestock. Mexico still owes the U.S. over 800,000 acre feet of water for failing to comply with our treaty over the past five years.
“The U.S needs Mexico to release at least 200,000 acre feet of water before Dec. 31 and the rest must come soon after. As of now, Mexico is not responding, and it is very unfair to our U.S. farmers who deserve this much needed water. That is why I have authorized documentation to impose a five percent tariff on Mexico if this water isn't released immediately. The longer Mexico takes to release the water, the more our farmers are hurt. Mexico has an obligation to fix this now. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Whitlock responded: “I am very much appreciative of President Trump’s action, because that is what we have been asking for since the day before he was inaugurated. With our initial story, we suggested Elon Musk to ask President Trump to issue an executive order on day two of his administration. This executive order would say, Mexico, we are still giving you water out of the Colorado River as part of our obligation under the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty. Effective this executive order, that water is no longer going to be provided.”
Whitlock said he launched that appeal via an op-ed on Jan. 19, the day before President Trump was inaugurated.
“He has responded to that in this particular manner. So obviously we are very, very excited, because he is exactly correct. Mexico’s failure to provide the water it owes us is harming in a big way, not only our farmers, but our citrus growers, who could totally go out of business if they don't get adequate water. If they don't get adequate water, the groves will die.”
What if Mexico does not have 800,000 acre feet available to be released, Whitlock was asked. “That is their problem. They had the water in the big dams they built to develop agriculture in the deserts of Chihuahua. They should release what they have, as per the treaty.”
Whitlock pointed out that there is a potential buyer for the sugar mill at Santa Rosa. It shut down almost two years ago due to lack of water.
“The potential buyers of the sugar mill want to bring it back to life. They are doing their due diligence about whether or not to go ahead. President Trump’s threat of tariffs at least gives them some kind of an indication to make that major investment and restore the 500 jobs that were lost.”
Whitlock continued: “This is at least an indication to those buyers that this cycle is going to be taken care of, because I cannot imagine Mexico not complying, given that they are threatened with having a five percent tariff on everything being sold and coming out of Mexico.”
Whitlock said he was also pleased that so soon after his op-ed came out, other elected officials took a stronger stance over the water debt.
“Both Texas US Senator’s John Cornyn & Ted Cruz, U.S. Agriculture Commissioner Rollins, once she was appointed, and U.S. Representative Monica de la Cruz have all been calling for the same thing that we recommended on January 19th! Their message got through to the President just as mine did.”
Whitlock added: “This is what I have been doing since Hurricane Beulah in 1967 when I, on powerful K-Rio 910 AM Radio; Board member of the RGV Partnership; President of the RGV Press Club, and in collaboration with Congressman Kika De La Garza and banker Glen Roney of McAllen State Bank, pushed President Johnson to fix the levee that broke in Mercedes, sending a wall of water into Harlingen, along with the RGV Floodway levees and he did so.
"This has been my life, as required by the FCC as a Radio-TV Broadcaster, since Hurricane Beulah, to be a public policy advocate “For the Needs, Concerns of the People! Whether it be tort reform, children’s health insurance (CHIP), I-69 interstate designation flags going up throughout the Rio Grande Valley, you name it. But this water insecurity issue is probably the most important thing that I have ever done as a public policy advocate broadcaster! I feel I must do all in “my power,” to “Save”, not only the farmers, ranchers & citrus growers, but also the currently exploding economic development efforts underway in the BiNational Rio Plex Region of Tamaulipas and South Texas!”
