Thanks to the inept policy decisions of the Doug Ducey Gubernatorial Administration, the Saudi Arabian agricultural firm, Fondomonte, is still legally allowed to pump as much water (free of charge) as it can so they can grow alfalfa in Salome, Arizona to ship to their nation and feed its livestock.
Apparently, the Ducey team did not heed the fact that Saudi Arabia does not allow alfalfa to be grown in their country because…wait for it…it uses too much water.
The Saudi’s apparently knew the best people to contact about helping them with their problem was the climate change deniers who do not believe in regulation.
This shortsighted maneveaur by the Ducey incompetents has already led to severe water shortages among surrounding farms adjacent to Fondomente.
One cattle ranch farmer, Brad Mead, whose land is affected by the massive water pumping by Fondomonte, commented to CBS News that he sees “money leaving America. I see water getting depleted.”
Since coming into office, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has worked on addressing this issue, cancelling permits for two additional water wells and looking for ways to stop Fondomonte to pump water on state owned land when their existing lease expires.
In the same interview with CBS News, the Attorney General called the Fonodomonte deal “pure insanity” and further commented:
“We can not afford to give our water away, frankly to anyone, let alone the Saudi’s for free.”
She later posted on social media:
Further comment on the Fondomonte situation was offered by Arizona House Congressional One Democratic Candidate Conor O’Callaghan who wrote:
“Every candidate in this race, every lawmaker, and every Arizonan should have deep concerns about this critical issue and take a firm stand against the exploitation of our most precious resource by foreign nations. The negligence of past policies that allowed this to occur and current advocacy on behalf of foreign governments against our state’s interests deeply troubles me. To prevent a recurrence of such incidents like Fondomonte, we urgently require federal protections. Arizona’s water security holds utmost importance, and I commit to being an unwavering advocate for our communities, farmers, and ranchers. I pledge to tirelessly defend our state’s natural resources from any form of exploitation by foreign governments. Together, let us safeguard our precious water resources for the welfare and prosperity of Arizona and its citizens. My campaign will unveil thorough water policy proposals in the coming weeks.”
I think the emphasis on who owns this outfit is a mistake. It’s not who owns the property and the water but the fact that the pumping is excessive! We need better ground water management no matter who the owners are.
That is true and the Attorney General shares those sentiments.
The Saudis get free water from the US, and charge us for their oil at the highest price they can get. It’s time to kick the Saudis out of Arizona.
Suggestion for my fellow Americans: buy a hybrid or electric car. Stop using fossil fuels.I did.
Absolutely on converting to hybrid or electric vehicles. Any company, regardless of nationality, should have their lease revoked if it is causing undo damage to the water supply.