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Gov. Hobbs vetoes bills to curb AG’s groundwater plan
Gov. Katie Hobbs won't let Republican lawmakers strip away the right of Attorney General Kris Mayes to sue the owners of corporate farms whose groundwater pumping dries up the wells of their neighbors.
No, the Saudis haven’t stopped pumping Arizona groundwater
The law has crippled groundwater regulation in most of the state and large farming operations have been exploiting it for decades. This includes American and foreign-owned companies. Even if the state can stop foreign companies from abusing Arizona’s lax water laws, American mega-dairies and large-scale alfalfa farms will continue to pump the state’s aquifer water at alarming rates.
Mines exporting to China threaten Arizona’s water
The real issue isn’t foreign demands for commodities that use Arizona’s scarce water. It is that large multi-national companies are receiving special, subsidized treatment to extract scarce resources that could be better used by current and future Arizonans.
Audit says state leased land to Saudi company at rates below market
State Auditor General Lindsey Perry is blasting the State Land Department for leasing land to a Saudi-owned company in western Arizona for below-market rates and not requiring it to pay for – or even report – the amount of groundwater it has been using.
Water, housing, abortion, teacher pay could be top issues for lawmakers
It's taken four decades, Saudi cows munching on alfalfa grown with Arizona water and national headlines about whether Arizona is finally drying up.
Hobbs defends decision to strip Saudi company of right to lease land to farm alfalfa
Gov. Katie Hobbs on Tuesday defended the decision to strip a Saudi company of its right to lease state land to farm alfalfa for export -- and get the water underneath it free -- but had no answers to what will become of the nearly 3,500 acres after that.
Land department cancels controversial lease of state land to company growing alfalfa
The state Land Department on Monday canceled one of the controversial leases of state land to a company that has been growing alfalfa for export to Saudi Arabia.
State’s largest pension fund selling interest in company that owns farm growing alfalfa
The state's largest public pension fund is selling off its interest in a company that owns a 3,000-acre western Arizona farm that grows alfalfa to ship to the Middle East.
Hobbs should terminate the Saudi lease in Butler Valley
In recent months Kris Mayes, the newly elected Attorney General, has urged Governor Hobbs to deny Fondomonte’s application to renew a lease. All Arizonans should also urge Governor Hobbs to direct the State Land Commissioner to reject the lease application and to restore the Butler Valley as a designated groundwater reserve to be held in trust for Arizona’s future.
