While U.S. officials continue to express concern over the surge in foreign-owned farm acreage, an important question looms: Who owns America’s water?
The answer is opaque, but foreign interests are expanding their hold on U.S. water in ways besides just land ownership.
At the moment, the door is wide open for foreign investment in water privatization.
New research suggests that increased privatization in water utilities also leads to higher prices at the tap for residents.
Water pumped up from an underground well flows into a cistern on a farm in Fresno, Calif., on July 24, 2021. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
Moreover, private water companies in the United States lack transparency….