Rep. Rick Renzi's indictment smashed apart two huge federal land exchanges that are critical to Arizona's heritage and economy.

Now, the other members of Arizona's congressional delegation must try to put the pieces back together. They'll need a vast amount of patience, diplomacy, insight, fortitude and persuasiveness.

The deals had been moving along through Congress.


• Petrified Forest National Park was to gain 15,000 acres that include wildlife habitat, a wealth of dinosaur fossils and archaeological sites that have been at the mercy of looters. It's an expansion that Congress approved earlier but without appropriating any money to pay for it. A land exchange is the only real option.


• The largest copper mine in Arizona would be created through a swap giving Resolution Copper Mining LLC 3,000 acres of national forest near Superior in return for 5,500 acres of conservation areas scattered around the state. It would bring hundreds of high-paying jobs to a depressed part of the state.

Renzi had the honor of sponsoring both projects. Now, he may have the shame of tainting their future.

He is alleged to have insisted, in both cases, that the deal include a totally unrelated land purchase - a sale that would let him recoup money from a former business partner.

The allegations of corruption and backroom dealing have now soured the prospects of getting congressional approval for either trade.

To keep the Resolution Copper land-exchange alive, Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., replaced Renzi as sponsor. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., authored a parallel bill in the Senate.

It's unclear whether the Petrified Forest proposal can be revived.

The allegations against Renzi include embezzling money to finance his original campaign for Congress. In other words, being a loser from the start.

It will take a superhuman effort from our other members of Congress to keep the entire state from being a loser, as well.