The "Water Assurance and Treaty Enforcement for Rio Grande Farmers Act" (WATER for Farmers Act) seeks to ensure reliable water delivery from Mexico to the United States under the 1944 Water Treaty. This legislation addresses the profound uncertainty and severe economic harm inflicted upon United States agricultural producers in South Texas due to Mexico's inconsistent water deliveries, which often rely on unpredictable storm events and accumulate large deficits. The bill finds that existing diplomatic agreements lack sufficient enforcement mechanisms to guarantee the necessary water for agricultural planning and production. The Act mandates the Secretary of State to determine annually if Mexico has met its required 350,000 acre-feet water delivery. If a water delivery shortfall is determined, the United States Trade Representative must impose duties on imports from Mexico, prioritizing agricultural products or goods from water-intensive regions. These duties escalate for consecutive years of shortfall and remain in effect until Mexico remedies all preceding shortfalls. All funds collected from these duties will be transferred to the South Texas Agricultural Compensation Trust Fund , which will provide direct financial compensation to U.S. agricultural producers in the Rio Grande Valley. The Secretary of Agriculture will calculate direct economic losses based on shortfall volume, economic value per acre-foot, and an impact multiplier that considers indirect economic effects. The bill also requires monthly public reporting of water delivery data, shortfalls, and compensation payments to ensure transparency and accountability.
The "Water Assurance and Treaty Enforcement for Rio Grande Farmers Act" (WATER for Farmers Act) seeks to ensure reliable water delivery from Mexico to the United States under the 1944 Water Treaty. This legislation addresses the profound uncertainty and severe economic harm inflicted upon United States agricultural producers in South Texas due to Mexico's inconsistent water deliveries, which often rely on unpredictable storm events and accumulate large deficits. The bill finds that existing diplomatic agreements lack sufficient enforcement mechanisms to guarantee the necessary water for agricultural planning and production. The Act mandates the Secretary of State to determine annually if Mexico has met its required 350,000 acre-feet water delivery. If a water delivery shortfall is determined, the United States Trade Representative must impose duties on imports from Mexico, prioritizing agricultural products or goods from water-intensive regions. These duties escalate for consecutive years of shortfall and remain in effect until Mexico remedies all preceding shortfalls. All funds collected from these duties will be transferred to the South Texas Agricultural Compensation Trust Fund , which will provide direct financial compensation to U.S. agricultural producers in the Rio Grande Valley. The Secretary of Agriculture will calculate direct economic losses based on shortfall volume, economic value per acre-foot, and an impact multiplier that considers indirect economic effects. The bill also requires monthly public reporting of water delivery data, shortfalls, and compensation payments to ensure transparency and accountability.