§265 — Title 15 Commerce and Trade | U.S. Code

Summary

The Panhandle and Plains parts of Texas and Oklahoma must be placed in the United States central time zone. The Secretary of Transportation must issue an order that draws the western edge of that time zone through specific state lines: starting where it crosses the Kansas–Oklahoma border, west along that border to Oklahoma’s northwest corner, then south along the west borders of Oklahoma and Texas to New Mexico’s southeast corner, then west along the Texas–New Mexico line to the Rio Grande, and then down the Rio Grande as the U.S.–Mexico border. Some railroads are allowed to change time at set towns instead of at that line: the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf and Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific may use Tucumcari; the Colorado Southern and Fort Worth and Denver City may use Sixela; the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe system may use Clovis; and lines into or through El Paso may use El Paso. Other time zone adjustments made by the Secretary remain in effect except where this law says otherwise.

Title 15, §265

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Panhandle and Plains sections of Texas and Oklahoma are transferred to and placed within the United States standard central-time zone. The Secretary of Transportation is authorized and directed to issue an order placing the western boundary line of the United States standard central-time zone insofar as the same affect Texas and Oklahoma as follows: Beginning at a point where such western boundary time zone line crosses the State boundary line between Kansas and Oklahoma; thence westerly along said State boundary line to the northwest corner of the State of Oklahoma; thence in a southerly direction along the west State boundary line of Oklahoma and the west State boundary line of Texas to the southeastern corner of the State of New Mexico; thence in a westerly direction along the State boundary line between the States of Texas and New Mexico to the Rio Grande River; thence down the Rio Grande River as the boundary line between the United States and Mexico: Provided, That the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway Company and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company may use Tucumcari, New Mexico, as the point at which they change from central to mountain time and vice versa; the Colorado Southern and Fort Worth and Denver City Railway Companies may use Sixela, New Mexico, as such changing point; the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company and other branches of the Santa Fe system may use Clovis, New Mexico, as such changing point, and those railways running into or through El Paso may use El Paso as such point: Provided further, That this section shall not, except as herein provided, interfere with the adjustment of time zones as established by the Secretary of Transportation.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1983—Pub. L. 97–449 substituted “Secretary of Transportation” for “Interstate Commerce Commission”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Repeals

section 2 of act Mar. 4, 1921, repealed all conflicting laws and parts of laws. Transfer of El Paso and Hudspeth Counties, Texas, to Mountain Standard Time Zone Pub. L. 91–228, Apr. 10, 1970, 84 Stat. 119, provided: “That, notwithstanding the first section of the Act of

March 4, 1921 (15 U.S.C. 265), the Secretary of Transportation may, upon the written request of the County Commissioners Court of El Paso County, Texas, change the boundary line between the central standard time zone and the mountain standard time zone, so as to place El Paso County in the mountain standard time zone, in the manner prescribed in section 1 of the Act of

March 19, 1918, as amended (15 U.S.C. 261), and section 5 of the Act of

April 13, 1966 (15 U.S.C. 266). In the same manner, the Secretary of Transportation may also place Hudspeth County, Texas, in the mountain standard time zone, if the Hudspeth County Commissioners Court so requests in writing and if El Paso County is to be placed in that time zone.”

§265 Transfer of Certain Territory to Standard Central-time Zone