DoomsdaysCWArizona AG sues Saudi firm over ‘excessive’ groundwater pumping, saying it’s a public nuisance
By GABRIEL SANDOVAL and ANITA SNOW
Updated 8:07 PM EST, December 11, 2024
PHOENIX (AP) — "Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Wednesday she’s suing a Saudi Arabian agribusiness for allegedly violating a public nuisance law, contending that its groundwater pumping threatens the public health, safety and infrastructure of local communities in a rural western county.
"The complaint filed in Maricopa County Superior Court alleges that the pumping at a #FondomonteArizonaLLC alfalfa farm has had widespread effects in the #RanegrasPlainBasin of La Paz County, harming everyone who depends on basin water by drawing down supplies, drying up wells and causing the ground to crack and sink in some areas.
"The lawsuit is the latest action by Arizona against foreign companies that use huge amounts of groundwater to grow thirsty forage crops for export because of climate challenges in other countries. Rural #Arizona is especially attractive to international businesses because it has no groundwater pumping regulations.
"The lawsuit alleges that since 2014, #Fondomonte has extracted huge amounts of water that accelerated depletion of the basin’s aquifer. The company is a subsidiary of Saudi dairy giant #Almarai Co."
https://apnews.com/article/arizona-groundwater-pumping-fondomonte-b586786d9e403f50d6725891e74f69ec
#WaterIsLife #WaterExtraction #BigAg #BigAgribusiness #ArizonaWater
Arizona AG sues Saudi firm over 'excessive' groundwater pumping, saying it's a public nuisance
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes says she is suing a Saudi Arabian agribusiness over what she calls “excessive pumping” of groundwater. She alleges that the Fondomonte alfalfa farm in western Arizona is violating a public nuisance law even though the area has no groundwater pumping regulations. Mayes said Wednesday that Fondomonte's use of groundwater threatens the public health, safety and infrastructure of local communities in rural La Paz County. It's Arizona's latest action against foreign companies that use huge amounts of groundwater to grow thirsty forage crops for export. Fondomonte said it would defend itself against any legal action.
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