Arizona governor revokes Saudi-owned alfalfa farm lease, announces nonrenewal of others

 

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) declared Monday that she would be revoking the lease of a Saudi-owned alfalfa venture that has for years siphoned off state water resources and rattled residents across party lines. 

The governor’s office announced the immediate cancellation of one of four leases in Arizona’s Butler Valley held by the company Fondomonte, after deeming the firm “in significant ongoing default of its lease dating back to 2016.” 

The other three Butler Valley leases, set to expire in February, would not receive renewals, the announcement added.

“I’m not afraid to do what my predecessors refused to do — hold people accountable, maximize value for the state land trust, and protect Arizona’s water future,” Hobbs said in a statement.

Fondomonte acquired its Butler Valley leases, which cover about 3,500 acres of land northwest of Phoenix, in 2015. The region is home to critical groundwater supplies, in a desert state that is thirsting for such resources...more