The San Pedro River, one of the last free-flowing rivers in the Southwest and an oasis for hundreds of species of migratory birds, could be seriously depleted if Congress agrees to exempt a nearby military installation from water restrictions.
Pushing for the exemption at Ft. Huachuca is Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.), whose father is an executive at a firm with contracts worth more than $450 million at the post.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday September 26, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 52 words Type of Material: Correction
Defense contracts -- An article in Section A on Thursday stated that ManTech International holds more than $1 billion in pending defense contracts at Ft. Huachuca, an Army post in southern Arizona. Although the contracts were issued through the fort, not all of the contracted activities would take place at Ft. Huachuca.
Renzi's measure, in the form of an amendment to the defense authorization bill, would exempt Ft. Huachuca from responsibility for maintaining water levels in the San Pedro River as called for in an agreement made last year with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The House recently approved the exemption despite opposition from Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. The state's senior senator, Republican John McCain, said last week that he too opposes the exemption.
The bill with the amendment attached is in a House-Senate conference.
The proposed exemption would allow the post 70 miles southeast of Tucson to use more water and to expand. Critics say that would benefit private sector contractors.
Renzi's father is retired Maj. Gen. Eugene Renzi, executive vice president with ManTech, a Virginia-based defense contractor that provides communications and information technology networks to Ft. Huachuca.
The company, which has an office in Sierra Vista, Ariz., was also the largest contributor to Renzi's 2002 congressional campaign. The company has more than $1 billion in pending contracts at the base.
Gary Ruskin of the nonprofit Congressional Accountability Project said Rep. Renzi's provision needlessly opened him to ethical questions.
"This isn't rocket science. It is a clear conflict of interest," Ruskin said. "It is utterly mystifying why he would not have some other Arizona member pick this up."
The freshman congressman championed the amendment at the behest of Rep. Jim Kolbe, (R-Ariz.), who represents the district and who himself unsuccessfully introduced the measure last year.
Renzi scoffed at the conflict-of-interest claims, saying: "ManTech will do fine. They don't need a congressman helping them."
Phone calls to ManTech's headquarters were not returned.
The San Pedro River, which flows north from Mexico for 140 miles, is a rarity in the arid Southwest -- an undammed river that supports an array of plants and animals, particularly birds. Scientists estimate that at least half the bird species in North America use the San Pedro area at some point. A portion of the river has been set aside as a National Conservation Area.
