So far, however, the Arizona legislature is lacking the biggest. They pass bills that address minor issues while ignoring bills that address major issues.

The main bill to address the pumping of groundwater in Mojave County by Saudi firm Fondmonte was led by Congressman Leo Biasiucci. HB2376It would prohibit seven countries’ governments or companies from those countries from owning or leasing state land.

The previous list of countries is based on the US list of states sponsoring terrorism: China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Venezuela. Yes, this list does not include Saudi Arabia, the country where the bill originated. Interesting fact, but that might change with a fix.

The main problem presented by the Fondomonte debacle is that groundwater laws are still too lax. This shows that anyone with enough money can come to Arizona and deplete the aquifer without regulation or repercussions.

This is a problem Arizona has ignored for decades. 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act Although we have established aggressive groundwater management areas around the state’s metropolitan areas, most of Arizona’s rural areas are unregulated.

Biasucci, the House Majority Leader and a Republican from Lake Havasu, actually created a bill to address the issue, but legislators instead sought foreign ownership or leasing of state land. It focuses on sub-issues about

“Bad bills do well in party votes,” said Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, a Tucson Democrat who sees some value in the proposal. “A good bill is not heard.”

At the February 16 meeting of the House Committee on Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Biacicucci said, “This bill would ensure that these countries in question never own state land in Arizona. is something,” he said.

Committee members raised all pertinent questions. Isn’t the list of prohibited countries ever-changing? Maybe all foreign purchases or leases should be banned? Can’t companies rent ownership through a labyrinthine LLC? ?

“Was there any discussion about out-of-state American companies?” asked Rep. Lydia Hernandez. “They can come in and do the exact same thing.”

In fact, Minnesota-based Riverview LLP has started a major dairy business, and so has Cochise County, where water levels have fallen.

But Biasucci’s HB 2376 focuses on foreign ownership.

Fondomonte’s operation “is in my district and I want the water not to be pumped up and used for things that don’t benefit us at all,” he said.

Rep. Mariana Sandoval, a Goodyear Democrat, responded, “I don’t know if the underlying issue of pumping groundwater is in your bill.”

“If they stop getting land, they can’t pump water. That’s the goal,” Biasucci replied.

Of course, the bill is limited to state land. Like Riverview, they can buy land elsewhere and pump it to their heart’s content.

Biasucci’s idea of ​​foreign ownership is not without value, but it has its limits. The real problem is that anyone can come here and drain as much groundwater as they like, as long as they are outside of active management areas in most of rural Arizona.

Actually, there’s a legislator with a sane idea to do something about that sensitive issue — Biajiuchi.Regional Groundwater Management Area”

These may be established in watersheds by a percentage of petitioning locals or by county supervisors. The Arizona Department of Water Resources will approve and, in some cases, oversee local plans to meet groundwater targets.

This is a new version of an idea previously proposed by former Congressman Regina Cobb from the same region of the state. She called them Rural Management Areas.

Haley Paul, policy director at Audubon Southwest, said there were ongoing discussions and that the idea Now enshrined as HB 2731, is still a possibility. This will give local residents more control over their local water.

“It’s really hard to make a new water policy,” she told me. “People are still desperate to do something, and they’re trying to figure out how to move this ball forward.”

As usual, the stumbling block is Rep. Gail Griffin, chairman of the House Natural Resources, Energy and Water Committee. For years, Griffin has prevented any regulation of groundwater abstraction from occurring.

She will not put the bill to hearings in her committee either.

In Congress, good ideas for dealing with tricky issues like groundwater often struggle. But so-and-so ideas – they have a good chance.