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SA water proposal scrapped
Roma man seen in Zapata By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
The Roma Police Department is asking the
the vehicle were not available. Relatives of Garza reported him missing Feb. 3. Aguirre said there’s no way of knowing if foul play is suspected. He added that the case is in its preliminary stages. People with information on his whereabouts are asked to call Roma authorities at 956-849-2231. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
community for assistance in locating a man who went missing in Zapata County. Irving Garza, 20, of Roma, was dropped off at a convenience store in Zapata on Jan. 30. Information on who dropped him off was not available. Roma Detective Lt. Rafael Aguirre said Garza boarded a “passenger car.” The make and model of
Pipeline would’ve drawn from springs feeding into Rio Grande By ALDO AMATO THE ZAPATA TIMES
GARZA
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
MEXICO AT CROSSROADS
File photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre | AP
In this Dec. 26 photo, American companies such as Applebee’s, Burger King and Smartmart line the street in Ciudad Juarez. Looking around a Mexico dotted by American outlets, it’s hard to remember the country before the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Reforms pose challenges for lawmakers, trade By LYNN BREZOSKY SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
Mexico has come a long way thanks to a level of political cooperation not seen in years, but the challenge for Mexican lawmakers will be in seeing through an ambitious package of reforms, former North American Development Bank CEO Raúl Rodríguez-Barocio said
Tuesday. Rodríguez, currently Benson chair of banking and finance at the University of the Incarnate Word, repeated what he said was a catchphrase among trade scholars: It’s got a 21st-century trade climate that’s clouded by its 20th-century regulatory environment and infrastructure and a 19th-century concept of sov-
ereignty. The recently adopted constitutional change to open the country’s the energy sector to private investment is a case in point, he said at the monthly breakfast meeting of the Mexican Entrepreneurs Association. The energy legislation may seem an extraordinary achievement for the administration of President En-
rique Peña-Nieto. But the government still has to develop the secondary laws and regulations. “The devil is in the fine print,” Rodríguez said. And failure to follow through would hurt already ailing international and domestic confidence in Mexico’s competitiveness.
See MEXICO PAGE 10A
A proposed pipeline that would’ve drawn billions of water a year from springs that feed the Rio Grande has been scrapped. The proposal’s opponents feared that the springs’ water flow could slow or even dry up. Officials from the San Antonio Water System announced Monday that they would not pursue the proposal, which called for drawing more than 16 billion gallons of water a year from the San Felipe Springs, which feed into the Rio Grande. Instead, SAWS staff recommended to its board the pursuit of additional brackish groundwater from Bexar and Wilcox counties. Brackish water has more salinity than freshwater. “Brackish groundwater is plentiful, unused in our region and is available for centuries,” said SAWS President and CEO Robert R. Puente in a statement. “Texas views desalination as a solution to meet future water demands and so do we.” A SAWS spokesperson said the proposed pipeline was scrapped because SAWS officials thought “it was too risky.” “I am so relieved and happy this happened,” said Tricia Cortez, executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Center. “But we can’t fully exhale because there might be other people waiting in the wings and it is still like a free for all. But we’re happy the border united on this issue.” In late January, Cortez and city officials met with representatives from other Texas-Mexico border cities to form a coalition against the proposal. The coalition planned on attending a SAWS board meeting later this month to voice their opposition. “I’m sure this coalition is not going to die just yet,” Cortez said. “We’ve still got plenty of work to do to make sure this does not happen again.” Annalisa Peace, executive director of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, praised SAWS officials’ decision. “We were really delighted with the recommendation not to choose Val Verde County,” Peace said. “Brackish water makes more sense anyways. We’ll continue to fight any attempts to drill from the springs and drain natural resources.” Peace said the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance will join future causes that Cortez and the alliance of Texas-Mexico border cities may fight for. “We will definitely be aligned with our allies on the border in order to make sure unsustainable amounts of water are not exported from the water supply,” she said. “I really hope they’ll continue the fight.” (Aldo Amato may be reached at 728-2538 or aamato@lmtonline.com)
UT SYSTEM
Cigarroa, UT chancellor, officially steps down By JENNIFER R. LLOYD SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
AUSTIN — University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa announced Monday that he plans leave the UT board room, from which he’s pushed for progress at the system’s 15 academic and health institutions and faced controversy over relations with its flagship school, in favor of the operating room at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Cigarroa noted his work with the system’s four emerging research universities, including UTSA, and x the planting of a larger flag in South Texas with the creation of a new
university that will include a medical school called the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Once his successor is found, the San Antonio resident said he plans to embark on a “new and exciting adventure” as the head of pediatric transplant surgery at UTHSCSA. Cigarroa said he was offered the position at the end of December and briefed Foster in mid-January that he was inclined to accept it. Cigarroa, a native Laredoan, also will be a special liaison to the system’s board of regents, advising on the creation of UT-RGV, said UT regents Chairman Paul Foster. “I’ve got to admit I am
absolutely elated about the accomplishments we’ve made collectively at the University of Texas System over the past five years,” Cigarroa said at a news conference, highlighting progress toward opening the Dell Medical School at UT Austin, among other achievements. “We have set the pathway for UT-Austin to become America’s finest university.” UT-Austin President Bill Powers said in a statement that he appreciated Cigarroa’s “support in a variety of areas, most of all, establishing a medical school.” But the unexpected announcement has some law-
See CIGARROA PAGE 10A
Photo by Bob Owen | San Antonio Express-News
Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., announced that he will step down as head of The University of Texas System after a five-year tenure in Austin on Monday.