HECHO Statement on Governor Hobbs’s Announcement To Stop Leases With Fondomonte

HECHO applauds Governor Hobbs for taking critical actions to protect Arizona's groundwater by terminating the lease with Fondomonte, a Saudi-owned farm pumping Arizona groundwater to grow alfalfa for years while the state has suffered unprecedented drought.   

But, more needs to be done to protect groundwater in the state. The mining industry has taken advantage of Arizona's lack of stronger groundwater laws to use unlimited amounts of groundwater for projects that not only exhaust precious water resources but also put them at risk of contamination.  

An example is Resolution Copper, a foreign mining company pushing to move forward with building and operating the largest copper mine in North America in Oak Flat, which will use 250 billion gallons of water. Several studies have also shown the permanent damage this mining project will cause to the aquifers in the area that are critical for communities east of Phoenix.   

Unlimited and unregulated access to Arizona's groundwater can no longer be permitted.