You may or may not have heard that the Washington Post laid off (or let go or pink-slipped or fired) Radley Balko a month or so ago. He had been moved from a reporting gig to the opinion section a year or so earlier, which didn't make a whole lot of sense in the first place.
Anyway, he's attempting to land on his feet with his own investigative reporting through a Substack.
Today, separate from the things he usually works on, he posted this to Twitter:
Today I learned that as the Colorado River dries up, Arizona is leasing its largest underground aquifer to the Saudis, who are growing water-intensive alfalfa, which is then shipped back to Saudi Arabia to feed cattle. Market rate for the lease is $5 million/year. The Saudis pay $86K.
This sweetheart deal has been happening since 2015, so the corrupt undercharging has amounted to $38 million so far.
The story Balko linked to was published on Arizona Central back in late August, so this is not news in Arizona. But it is head-in-your-hands disgusting... the kind of thing that should bring governments down, especially if elected leaders don't do anything to change it.
That linked piece was written by a former governor of Arizona and a former State Land commissioner, who call for Saudi Arabia to make back payments in full. Which makes sense, of course. But I think Arizona would be even better off keeping what little water they have, instead of selling it at any price.
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