protectionist
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- Oct 20, 2013
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In the American southwest, where water is a precious commodity, thousands of acres of land is being bought up by Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Whether one has lived or been out west, especially in summer, it's no secret that this is desert land. Even easteners who are used to green, grassy land in the summer, have seen dozens of western movies like Clint Eastwood and Bruce Dern scratching up sandy dust in the open deserts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
Having lived in California for 12 years myself, I know how incredibly dry it is all summer long, and why water is so valuable. But now, incredibly, the Saudis and other Persian Gulf nations whose home countries are equally dry (and now are running low on water) are buying up land in the US southwest, using up water unrestrictedly, and lowering the water table, causing water resource problems for US farmers. They grow alfalfa hay, which they then ship back to Saudi Arabia, so US citizens aren't even getting the benefit of the water they're losing. This is happening in drought-afflicted California too, where citizens are restricted from how they can use water, and how much.
Not everyone likes the trend. The alfalfa exports are tantamount to "exporting water," because in Saudi Arabia, "they have decided that it's better to bring feed in rather than to empty their water reserves," said Keith Murfield, CEO of United Dairymen of Arizona, a Tempe-based dairy cooperative whose members also buy alfalfa. "This will continue unless there's regulations put on it."
"We're not getting oil for free, so why are we giving our water away for free?" asked La Paz County Board of Supervisors Chairman Holly Irwin, who represents a rural area in western Arizona, where food companies affiliated with the Saudis and the UAE have come to farm alfalfa for export. Added Irwin, "We're letting them come over here and use up our resources. It's very frustrating for me, especially when I have residents telling me that their wells are going dry, and they have to dig a lot deeper for water. It's costly for them to drill new wells."
The Saudis have been careful to buy land in specific areas that are not regulated for groundwater usage. That's in contrast to most of the state, 85 percent of which has strict groundwater rules. Local development and groundwater pumping have contributed to the groundwater table falling since 2010 by more than 50 feet in parts of La Paz County, 130 miles west of Phoenix. State documents show there are at least 23 water wells on the lands controlled by the Saudi farm company Alamarai and their subsidiary, Fondomonte Arizona. Each of the wells is capable of pumping more than 100,000 gallons daily.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/15/saudi...southwest.html
Having lived in California for 12 years myself, I know how incredibly dry it is all summer long, and why water is so valuable. But now, incredibly, the Saudis and other Persian Gulf nations whose home countries are equally dry (and now are running low on water) are buying up land in the US southwest, using up water unrestrictedly, and lowering the water table, causing water resource problems for US farmers. They grow alfalfa hay, which they then ship back to Saudi Arabia, so US citizens aren't even getting the benefit of the water they're losing. This is happening in drought-afflicted California too, where citizens are restricted from how they can use water, and how much.
Not everyone likes the trend. The alfalfa exports are tantamount to "exporting water," because in Saudi Arabia, "they have decided that it's better to bring feed in rather than to empty their water reserves," said Keith Murfield, CEO of United Dairymen of Arizona, a Tempe-based dairy cooperative whose members also buy alfalfa. "This will continue unless there's regulations put on it."
"We're not getting oil for free, so why are we giving our water away for free?" asked La Paz County Board of Supervisors Chairman Holly Irwin, who represents a rural area in western Arizona, where food companies affiliated with the Saudis and the UAE have come to farm alfalfa for export. Added Irwin, "We're letting them come over here and use up our resources. It's very frustrating for me, especially when I have residents telling me that their wells are going dry, and they have to dig a lot deeper for water. It's costly for them to drill new wells."
The Saudis have been careful to buy land in specific areas that are not regulated for groundwater usage. That's in contrast to most of the state, 85 percent of which has strict groundwater rules. Local development and groundwater pumping have contributed to the groundwater table falling since 2010 by more than 50 feet in parts of La Paz County, 130 miles west of Phoenix. State documents show there are at least 23 water wells on the lands controlled by the Saudi farm company Alamarai and their subsidiary, Fondomonte Arizona. Each of the wells is capable of pumping more than 100,000 gallons daily.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/15/saudi...southwest.html
