by Kelly Simmons and Ana Maria Ruiz-Brown
The recent implementation in Mexico to the equivalent of the U.S. daylight savings time, called "Summer Schedule" (Horario de Verano), has created controversy and numerous headlines throughout the border state of Chihuahua during the month of April. For decades the State of Chihuahua and the U.S. states of Texas and New Mexico have had one hour's difference during part of the year and no difference in time during the rest of the year. If Chihuahua had not changed to the new Summer Schedule, clocks in El Paso and Juarez would be the same for the next six months. Now with the time change throughout Mexico, which was first implemented in April 1996, there will always be a one hour difference between the time in El Paso and the time in both Ciudad Juarez and the capital of Chihuahua City. An uproar among business interests, parents and officials has ensued.
The new biannual time change in Mexico has also raised disagreement over Chihuahua's placement in the 90th meridian time zone, equivalent to the U.S. central time zone, along with most of the rest of Mexico, instead of the 105th meridian time zone, equivalent to the U.S. mountain time zone, such as its neighbors to the north in west Texas and New Mexico. Prior to Summer Schedule, when it was 8:00 am in El Paso, it was already 9:00 am in Ciudad Juarez and when the U.S. set their clocks ahead one hour to daylight savings time, that difference was erased for half the year. It appears from numerous articles on the issue in Chihuahua that protesters want the change to Summer Schedule eliminated as well as to change Chihuahua State to the 105th meridian time zone.
Business and political leaders expressed their disagreement with the time change and have been lobbying for an exemption from the change to Summer Schedule as well as an overall change to the 105th meridian time zone with the federal government in Mexico City. Nora Yu, leader of the local Chamber of Commerce told an El Norte reporter that the difference of one hour between El Paso and Juarez affects many small businesses who are at a disadvantage in opening and closing their stores an hour ahead of businesses in El Paso. In addition, the Restaurant and Food Service Chamber of Commerce supports the proposal for the State of Chihuahua to have the same time as El Paso, stating it would increase tourism. If restaurants and bars close an hour earlier, this encourages consumers to go to El Paso.
In mid-April groups of parents protested the time change to Summer Schedule and demanded to have mountain time implemented in Chihuahua. According to a representative from the Parents Association in Juarez, many children are forced to walk to school early in the morning when it is still cold and dark, and it is difficult for children to adjust to changes every 6 months.
According to reports in El Norte, Governor Francisco Barrio noted in a weekly meeting that he had received several letters from different groups and citizens in general expressing the disadvantages of the new time change. While he stated he supported changing Chihuahua to the mountain time zone, he was unsure whether he had the power to order the change. A consultation with the Federal Electric Commission, (Comision Federal de Electricidad, CFE) was to be scheduled to determine whether there is any real energy savings generated with the time change. Two main political groups in the State Legislature agreed to send an official demand to President Zedillo to exempt Chihuahua from the new change to Summer Schedule. And on April 10th it was reported that Governor Barrio asked President Zedillo to modify the national decree placing Chihuahua in the western time zone with Sonora, Sinaloa and Southern Baja California.
Chihuahua State has changed its time zone on three separate occasions. In 1922 when Mexico began using the time zone system, Chihuahua was in the 105th meridian time zone along with Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit and Southern Baja California. Then in 1927, the state changed to the eastern 90th meridian time zone that is an hour earlier. In 1930, Mexico established three time zones corresponding to the 90th, 105th and 120th meridians and Chihuahua again changed to the 105th meridian but then in 1931 changed back to the 90th. Since then, Chihuahua has been in the 90th meridian time zone, the same as the U.S. central time zone, along with most of Mexico. Only the state of Northern Baja California is in the 120th meridian time zone, two hours earlier than Mexico City.
On the United States side of the border, the change to daylight savings time has also been marked by some disagreement. The state of Arizona is the only U.S. state that does not make the twice-annual change between standard time and daylight savings time and legislation has been introduced in the New Mexico State Legislature on more than one occasion to withdraw the state from participation in daylight savings time like its western neighbor, Arizona.
Sources: El Norte, Diario de Juarez