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San Antonio, Texas. – President Barack Obama has appointed José Rodríguez of El Paso, Texas, to the Board of Directors of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and the North American Development Bank (NADB). Rodríguez, a Texas State Senator, will serve as the U.S. Border State Representative on the 10-member board. The U.S.-Mexico bi-national board is comprised of three representatives from each federal government, a border state representative from each country, and a representative of the general public who resides in the border region from each country.

"I'm honored to be appointed by President Obama to serve on this very important body, and eager to get started," Senator Rodríguez said. "As many of us remember, it was created during discussions about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the 1990s. Communities along the border were concerned that with increased trade would come increased pressure on the environment, and BECC-NADB provided one mechanism to address that."

In his capacity as state senator, José Rodríguez represents Texas Senate District 29, which includes the counties of El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff Davis, and Presidio. He represents both urban and rural constituencies, and more than 350 miles of the Texas-Mexico border.

Immediately prior to his service in the Texas Senate, Senator Rodríguez served as the El Paso County Attorney for 17 years. Senator Rodríguez began his 38-year legal career as a staff attorney with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., serving under the Ford and Carter Administrations. He practiced law as a partner with the firm of Rodriguez, Lewis & Collins and worked for 10 years as a staff attorney and director of the farm worker program of Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc, a statewide legal services program. He also served as Legal Advisor to the El Paso County Judge Alicia Chacon, the first female Hispanic elected to the position.