Cleaner Water
Restoring the Everglades
In January 2002, President Bush and Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed an agreement to ensure that adequate
water supplies are available to support the 30-year Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), which was
authorized in December 2000. This agreement further bolsters the Bush Administration's strong support for the
$7.8 billion CERP, which is the most comprehensive and ambitious ecosystem restoration project ever undertaken
in the United States. The CERP includes more than 68 projects, and the costs of the restoration and future
operating expenses will be shared equally by Federal and non-federal interests, including the State of Florida.
The President's FY 2005 budget includes $231 million for Everglades restoration. The programmatic regulations
that ensure CERP goals and objectives are achieved were issued in December 2003. In addition, the Corps of
Engineers is completing regulations to guide individual restoration projects and ensure, through adaptive
management, that new information will be incorporated into the CERP.