This is your weekly news roundup, which takes a quick look at some developments in government, politics, education, environment and other topics across El Paso.
Recycling Centers Face Stricter Fire Regulations, Costs
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to amend its fire prevention code to include stricter regulations for recycling plants, as well as imposing fees to recoup costs associated with putting out fires that break out at them. The changes take place immediately.
The move stems from a large, three-alarm fire at a cardboard recycling facility, which has a history of fires, in the Chamizal area at Paisano Drive and Coles Street last May. The fire burned for hours and required 200 firefighters to put out the blaze, which the Fire Department called one of the largest in the city’s history.
Other changes to the ordinance include limiting the number of combustible materials at the sites, reducing the allowed height of material storage, and increasing inspections of the plants.
Recycling plants may also face fees to help the city recover some of the costs associated with responding to the fires. That may include the cost of water and water supplies, response equipment deemed no longer operative and the cost of labor.
El Paso Fire Chief Jonathan Killings said enforcement at first is going to “look more like education.” He said the changes will also help the department recoup some of its costs associated with putting out the costly fires. Killings said the goal is to address the health and safety of nearby neighborhoods and mitigate environmental concerns.
Escobar Named to House Appropriations Committee
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, has been appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, which is viewed as one of the most influential in Congress.
“The work of the Appropriations Committee is critical to El Paso, from ensuring that overlooked populations receive adequate resources, to making our schools, health care, and other public services affordable and accessible for everyone,” Escobar said in a statement.
She is beginning her fourth term in Congress, but this will mark the first time she has served on the Appropriations Committee. The panel plays a key role in shaping the federal budget.
The last El Pasoan to serve on the House Appropriations Committee was Rep. Ron Coleman, who was a member from the late 1980s until retiring from Congress in 1996.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, whose district represents a small part of El Paso County, has served on the Appropriations Committee since coming to Congress in 2021.
UTEP Appoints First AI Computing Leader
The University of Texas at El Paso has appointed Salamah Salamah, AT&T endowed professor of computer science and leader in the fields of computing and cybersecurity, as its first associate vice president for Scientific Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
Salamah’s duties will include to further UTEP’s research initiatives and develop its computing infrastructure to support innovation. Additionally, he will manage efforts to advance interdisciplinary research, and bolster computing and AI expertise, among other things.
“I am honored to take on this new role at a time when scientific computing and artificial intelligence are reshaping the world,” Salamah said in a news release.
The new associate vice president is a two-time UTEP graduate in computer science. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2001 and his Ph.D. six years later. He started at UTEP as an associate professor in January 2013, and has secured more than $10 million in external funding since then.
While department chair from 2020 to 2024, he helped the university become a National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations and Cybersecurity Research, and one of the elite academic institutions in the fields of cybersecurity research and education.
Throughout his time at UTEP, Salamah has nurtured partnerships with industry, government and academia to include the Army Research Lab and the National Security Agency.
Foster Family Foundation Donates $2.5M to UTEP Athletics
The University of Texas at El Paso’s Athletics transition to the Mountain West Conference from Conference USA in July 2026 has received a $2.5 million gift from the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation.
The money will help UTEP Athletics strengthen its sports programs, upgrade its facilities and ensure operational readiness in anticipation of the move.
In a news release, Foster, president and director of the foundation, called the move to the new conference a crucial step to advance the university’s athletics programs, and great news for the community. He said UTEP will be more competitive with the conference’s teams, which are geographically closer to El Paso.
The move will renew clashes with former Western Athletic Conference rivals such as Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, and Wyoming, and introduce new matchups against the likes of Grand Canyon University and UC Davis.
The Foster Family Foundation’s donation follows a $2.5 million pledge from the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation last month. This brings the amount of transition commitments to $5 million.
UTEP Hot Water Problems Continue
The University of Texas at El Paso repair crews continue to work on the campus’ hot water system that has experienced problems since mid-September and affected more than a dozen of its buildings.
A university email sent Wednesday to students, faculty and staff said that some of the affected buildings “tentatively” should begin to warm up and heating is expected to be restored by Friday.
The university began to send campuswide emails Sept. 11 with reports of a hydronic hot water line leak in front of Old Main. Subsequent emails provided updates and projected repair timelines that often were bumped back.
The list of affected structures besides Old Main include the Fox Fine Arts Center, Magoffin Auditorium, Quinn, Prospect, Vowell, Worrell and Holliday halls, as well as the Union, Education, Liberal Arts, Psychology, Administration, Geological Sciences, and Physical Sciences buildings.
According to the most recent campus email sent around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 8, heating in Union West, and the Administration, Liberal Arts and Physical Sciences buildings remain offline.
El Paso Matters sent several questions about this issue and the university sent a statement that acknowledged that the system “sprang several leaks.”
The statement also included that Wintermester courses, which started Monday, were not disrupted, and that lab animal research has not been affected as the labs have backup climate control systems.
Most of the campus’ cooling and heating is produced by chillers or boilers in the Central Energy Plant between Benedict Hall and the Physical Sciences Building. Hot or cold water is pumped across campus mostly through underground lines. If a major artery springs a leak, it could take several buildings offline.
Supervisors whose offices were in the affected buildings could allow employees remote work.
UTEP did not respond to questions about when the current heating issue began, the number of employees affected by the lack of heat in the buildings, or the estimated time when crews will complete repairs.
The post El Paso news: Stricter fire rules, Rep. Escobar’s new role appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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