In 2011, the Saudi agriculture giant Almarai acquired an Argentinian company called Fondomonte. An average Phoenix family of four uses roughly 17,000 gallons (64,000 liters) of water per month, meaning the two new wells would have pumped in just three minutes what a family of four uses in a month. In rural Arizonas La Paz County, on the states rugged border with California, the decision by a Saudi-owned dairy company to grow alfalfa in the American Southwest for livestock in the Gulf kingdom first raised eyebrows nearly a decade ago. The two wells. Foreign entities and individuals control roughly 3 percent of U.S. farmland, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Fondomonte Arizona, a subsidiary of Almarai Co., has for nearly a decade grown alfalfa in the American Southwest that is sent to the Gulf kingdom to feed cows there. An appropriation of $440 million for conservation and water reliability projects, passed in the waning hours of the session, is a significant step. 'A Compromise Offered by Joe Manchin' Is Gloomy, Another Banner Week for Republican Hypocrisy, DeSantis' Very Bad Visit to New Hampshire, SCOTUS Ruled on 'Independent State Legislature', These Tapes Are a Window Into Trump's Addled Mind. The Saudi water company is raiding Arizonas groundwater because Saudi Arabia has nearly exhausted its own supplyan exchange that ought to put other states on high alert. Arizonas water is running worryingly low. Other sectors like mining and the military, which have a huge presence in the state, also benefit from Arizonas lax water laws. And like Fondomontes alfalfa, Raytheons product is being shipped to Saudi Arabia. Holly Irwin, a member of the La Paz County Board of Supervisors, has long opposed Fondomonte using water in the county. U.S. farmers themselves export hay and other forage crops to the Middle East mainly to Saudi Arabia. Mayes, along with hydrologists and environmental advocates, says more studies are needed of groundwater basins in rural areas such as La Paz County, an agricultural county of about 16,000 people. Assisted by the newly established University of Arizona, the farmers dug deep and elaborate irrigation . She said shes fielded complaints from residents for years that its getting harder to pump water in nearby wells and has repeatedly asked the state to do something about it. Theres a perception that water goes to local uses, said Andrew Curley, a professor of geography and the environment at the University of Arizona. That same month, Republican state legislators introduced a bill to prohibit sales of state lands to foreign governments, state enterprises and any company based in China, Russia or Saudi Arabia. "It is a scandal that the State of Arizona allowed this to happen," said Mayes, a Democrat, who made canceling these leases a centerpiece of her recent campaign. That Fondomonte chose Arizona as a place to grow such crops has angered some in the state, which has faced two consecutive years of federal water cuts from the Colorado River, a primary water source for the state. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. "I call for a cessation of these leases, an audit of the leases, and an investigation into this particular lease. Totally depleted. As climate change fuels devastating droughts, Arizona and its rapidly growing cities are facing drastic cuts to their surface water supply from the critically low Colorado River system. But in rural areas, little is required of water users besides registering wells with the state and using the water for activities, including farming that are deemed a beneficial use.. Now,worsening droughthas focused new attention on the company and whether Arizona should be doing more to protect its groundwater resources. And then there are the sudden appearance of fully loaded Nazi ghost ships in the middle of vital waterways. All Rights Reserved. This includes Nazi ghost ships. A policy of unregulated pumping on the Arabian Peninsula had, in 40 years, drained aquifers that had taken 20,000 years to form, leaving thousands of acres fallow and forcing Saudi Arabia and . Meanwhile, some California-based farms, facing tougher groundwater regulations at home, are looking to relocate to neighboring Arizona for cheap water. This year The Arizona Republic published a report showing that the Arizona State Land Department has been leasing 3,500 acres of public land to Almarai for a suspiciously low price. PHOENIX (AP) Arizona Gov. Need help accessing? Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake wants to cancel the leases as well, said communications director Ross Trumble. Suman Naishadham, Associated Press. Water managers from seven states in the river basin failed in August to meet a federal deadline to make sharp reductions. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. Amid a broader investigation by the state attorney general, Arizona last week rescinded a pair of permits that would have allowed Fondomonte Arizona, a subsidiary of Almarai Co., to drill more. "There's nothing to say except, that's insane," said Mayes. Fourteen U.S. states have restrictions on foreign individuals or entities owning farmland, but limitations vary widely and no state completely prohibits it. newsletter for analysis you wont find anywhereelse. MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The water crisis here in Arizona goes from bad to worse. The Premier League club, who came under majority ownership by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) in October 2021, qualified for the Champions League at the end of last season after a 20 . We just cant in the midst of an epic drought afford to do dumb things with water in the state of Arizona anymore.. It's difficult to know how much water is being used up by one of the state's largest employers, Raytheon Missiles and Defense, which, like Almarai, has a footprint in Arizona and Saudi Arabia. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on health and COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. Farms in western Arizona are growing alfalfa one of the most water-intensive crops in an area where there's a shortage of water. While a 1980 state law regulates groundwater use in a handful of urban areas, water overuse is common even in these places. In August, Kris Mayes, then a candidate for state attorney general, released a 16-point plan to stop what it called the Saudi water grab. Ms. Mayes, who narrowly won the November election (though results of an automatic recount are pending), has some good ideas. For some, the question is: how did this happen? Fondomonte also farms in Californias Palo Verde Valley, an area that gets its water from the Colorado River. Subscribe to Heres the Deal, our politics The Arizona Department of Water Resources is the steward of Arizona's water future and ensures long-term, reliable water supplies to support the continued economic prosperity of the State. But he says there are days he can't provide enough water for everyone. Fondomonte, the corporationwhich is the target of the candidates outrage, is using an aquifer that, according to the article, could be tapped as a future water source for metro Phoenix and other urban areas., The controversy:Inside Arizona's sweet deal to a Saudi farm. The Arizona Republic recently reported about the bipartisan outrage regarding foreign investors exploiting, or arguably squandering, Arizona's water resources (" Arizona AG, governor. The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. He claims his neighbors, Fondomonte, used so much water that his well went dry. Biden lays out "new path" for student loan relief after Supreme Court decision, Supreme Court strikes down Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning "Little Miss Sunshine" actor, dies at 89, Here's what the Supreme Court ruling means for your student debt, State Department report details failures in chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, Supreme Court sides with designer who declines to make same-sex wedding websites, Women face age bias at work, no matter how old they are, As student debt relief fails, some point to "hypocrisy" of PPP loans. Mount Rushmore Is a Portal to Communist Hell!!! All Rights Reserved. State officials recently revoked two new well-drilling permits for a Saudi Arabian agriculture company that uses Arizona groundwater to grow alfalfa to feed dairy cows overseas, and state Attorney. Here are some tips. He is a former state lawmaker. 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In an interview with The Associated Press, Attorney General Kris Mayes said she thought most Arizonans see it as outrageous that the state is allowing foreign-owned companies to stick a straw in our ground and use our water for free to grow alfalfa and send it home to Saudi Arabia. The drought has also made groundwater long used by farmers and rural residents with little restriction even more important for users across the state. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. This image shows an Almarai logo in Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Katie Hobbs, also a Democrat, saying in her January state of the state address that she, too, would look into the practice. But she failed to clearly note the action that is needed: groundwater regulation across the entire state. An effort to address this shortcoming in the last legislative session by creating a system of rural management areas to oversee local regulation of groundwater use stalled in spite ofbroad bipartisan support. Attorney General revokes drill permits of Saudi-owned company building Arizona deep-water wells According to Mayes, the approval of the drill permits has now been revoked. And most of them are U.S.-owned. Arizona Water Company. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. As a result, the Bureau of Reclamation ordered Arizona to cut its use of water from the river by 21 percent. PHOENIX (AP) The state of Arizona has rescinded drilling permits for two water wells for a Saudi Arabia-owned alfalfa farm in the western portion of the state after authorities said they discovered inconsistencies in the company's well applications. Currently, Arizona doesnt measure how much groundwater users pump in such areas, which means there is little understanding of how much water an operation like Fondomonte or other farms uses. Doug Ducey and Attorney General Mark Brnovich to force Fondomonte, "protect Arizona's water resources from corrupt actors. Located on the borders of Arizona and Nevada, this desert valley is being farmed for hay and alfalfa using groundwater pulled from the Colorado River, with much of the hay exported to feed animals in Middleastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Now, worsening drought has focused new attention on the company and whether Arizona should be doing more to protect its groundwater resources. Bruce Babbitt called for Gov. Years of drought have ratcheted up pressure on water users across the West, particularly in states like Arizona, which relies heavily on the dwindling Colorado River. They have said the companies are exploiting Arizonas groundwater law that allows farms to pump as much water as they want in a time of drought. "Pumps are pumping water out of the ground that belongs to the State of Arizona, and essentially it's being exported to Saudi Arabia," said Kris Mayes, Arizona's newly elected attorney general. She also said in a statement that Arizona's Groundwater Management Act needs to be updated to give rural areas more tools for regulating groundwater pumping. "This Saudi water lease is a flat out scandal, andour current governor and attorney generalallowed it to happen on their watch.". Contact [emailprotected]. Nazi ghost ships might be the least of our problems. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Phoenix, Tucson and other Arizona cities have restrictions on how much groundwater they can pump under a 1980 state law aimed at protecting the states aquifers.