Current:Home > FinanceA Saudi business is leaving Arizona valley after it was targeted by the state over groundwater use-InfoLens
A Saudi business is leaving Arizona valley after it was targeted by the state over groundwater use
View Date:2024-12-23 19:10:20
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona officials said a Saudi-owned company they targeted over its use of groundwater to grow forage crops is moving its farming operation out of a valley in the Southwestern state’s rural west.
Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona State Land Department announced late Thursday that Fondomonte Arizona is officially no longer pumping water in the Butler Valley groundwater basin. Some residents of La Paz County had complained that the company’s pumping was threatening their wells.
A statement by Hobbs says an on-site inspection had confirmed that Fondomonte was moving to vacate the property. Fondomonte has several other farms elsewhere in Arizona that are not affected by the decision.
A call placed Friday seeking comment from Fondomonte’s Arizona office was not immediately returned.
Current Arizona regulations allow virtually unfettered groundwater pumping in the state’s rural areas.
Climate-challenged countries like Saudi Arabia have increasingly looked to faraway places like Arizona for the water and land to grow forage for livestock and commodities such as wheat for domestic use and export.
Foreign and out-of-state U.S. farms are not banned from farming in Arizona nor from selling their goods worldwide. American farmers commonly export forage crops to countries including Saudi Arabia and China.
Fondomonte, a subsidiary of Saudi dairy giant Almarai Co., held four separate lease agreements in the Butler Valley Basin to grow alfalfa that feeds livestock in the Gulf kingdom. In October, Arizona’s State Land Department notified Fondomonte that three of its four leases in the Butler Valley Basin would not be renewed. Fondomonte was simultaneously notified that the fourth lease would be canceled as well.
The Arizona governor’s office said the State Land Department decided not to renew the leases the company had in Butler Valley due to the “excessive amounts of water being pumped from the land — free of charge.”
Fondomonte appealed the cancellation, and that process is still pending. The last lease ended on Feb. 14.
Another company, the United Arab Emirates-owned Al Dahra ACX Global Inc., grows forage crops in California and Arizona, including on Butler Valley land it leases from a private North Carolina-based company. It is a major North American exporter of hay.
Hobbs took credit for the end of Fondomonte’s operation in the valley.
“I’m not afraid to hold people accountable, maximize value for the state land trust, and protect Arizona’s water security,” she said.
veryGood! (3918)
Related
- Song Jae-lim, Moon Embracing the Sun Actor, Dead at 39
- Cousins caps winning drive with TD pass to London as Falcons rally past Eagles 22-21
- With Wyoming’s Regional Haze Plan ‘Partially Rejected,’ Conservationists Await Agency’s Final Proposal
- US Coast Guard says Russian naval vessels crossed into buffer zone off Alaska
- Michelle Obama Is Diving Back into the Dating World—But It’s Not What You Think
- Judge tosses Ken Paxton’s lawsuit targeting Texas county’s voter registration effort
- 8-year-old girl drove mom's SUV on Target run: 'We did let her finish her Frappuccino'
- Takeaways from AP’s report on a new abortion clinic in rural southeast Kansas
- 'Heretic' spoilers! Hugh Grant spills on his horror villain's fears and fate
- Ina Garten Reveals Why She Nearly Divorced Jeffrey Garten During Decades-Long Marriage
Ranking
- 'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
- October Prime Day 2024: Everything We Know and Early Deals You Can Shop Now
- Artem Chigvintsev's Lawyer Says He and Nikki Garcia Are Focused on Co-Parenting Amid Divorce
- Georgia official seeks more school safety money after Apalachee High shooting
- In an AP interview, the next Los Angeles DA says he’ll go after low-level nonviolent crimes
- Boar's Head listeria outbreak timeline: When it started, deaths, lawsuits, factory closure
- US Coast Guard says Russian naval vessels crossed into buffer zone off Alaska
- If the Fed cuts interest rates this week, how will your finances be impacted?
Recommendation
-
Exclusive Yankee Candle Sale: 50% Off Holiday Candles for a Limited Time
-
Volkswagen, Porsche, Mazda among 100,000 vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
-
How small businesses can recover from break-ins and theft
-
If the Fed cuts interest rates this week, how will your finances be impacted?
-
Jack Del Rio leaving Wisconsin’s staff after arrest on charge of operating vehicle while intoxicated
-
Michigan cannot fire coach Sherrone Moore for cause for known NCAA violations in sign-stealing case
-
Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke to miss rest of season with knee injury, per reports
-
Why RHOSLC's Heather Gay Feels Like She Can't Win After Losing Weight on Ozempic