US State officials move to limit Saudi Arabia from pumping unlimited water from drought-stricken Arizona: ‘This is huge’.
Arizona has moved to limit a Saudi-owned alfalfa farm and other megafarms from essentially exporting water to their countries via crop growth, leaving local wells dry.
Saudi Arabia’s agricultural industry faced collapse due to drying aquifers, leading to the purchase of land in Arizona to grow hay for livestock. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs canceled contracts with the Saudi farm and established a new “active management area” to protect local water supplies and limit water extraction from megafarms.
