For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 9, 2002
Another Step Forward for Everglades Restoration
Today's Presidential Action
Today, President Bush and Florida Governor
Jeb Bush took action to help the effort to restore the
Everglades. The President and the Governor signed an
agreement that ensures adequate water supplies are available to support
the 30-year Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
Today's announcement reflects the Bush
Administration's strong support for the 30-year, $7.8 billion
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The CERP
is the most comprehensive and ambitious ecosystem restoration project
ever undertaken in the United States. It includes more than
68 projects, and the costs of the restoration and future operating
expenses will be shared 50-50 by the Federal government and non-Federal
interests, including the State of Florida.
Background: The Bush Administration's Commitment to
Restoring the Everglades
Over the long-term, the Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan will restore approximately 2.4 million
acres of the Everglades ecosystem. The CERP will also help
to ensure that South Florida has a reliable supply of fresh water for
years to come. When fully implemented, it will provide the
region with an additional 1.7 billion gallons of fresh water per day--ensuring an expanded water supply to meet the growing needs of South
Florida communities and farms. The CERP enjoys broad, bipartisan
support from Congress, the State of Florida, tribal organizations,
environmental groups, local communities, the agricultural community and
other key stakeholders.
Today's agreement between the federal
government and the State of Florida ensures that adequate water
supplies will be available from projects in the CERP for the benefit of
state and federally-owned natural resources in the south Florida
ecosystem, including Everglades National Park and the Big Cypress
National Preserve. The State of Florida will reserve water
under State law for the benefit of these natural resources based on the
needs of each project.
This agreement solidifies the unique 50/50
partnership between the federal government and the State of Florida to
restore the Everglades and the south Florida ecosystem, and it
reinforces the important roles of the Department of the Interior, the
Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Florida in the restoration
effort.
President Bush's FY02 budget provided more
than $219 million for restoring the Everglades -- an increase of more
than $58 million over FY01 funding levels. These funds
include $15 million for the Department of the Interior to continue to
help the State of Florida acquire lands needed for projects included in
the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. To date, the
federal government has helped acquire over 110,000 acres needed for
these projects.
The Department of the Interior will spend
additional funds to help recover the endangered key deer in the Florida
Keys so they can eventually be de-listed under the Endangered Species
Act. The Department also increased funding available for
the eradication of exotic plants and other species that threaten
restoration of the ecosystem.
Governor Jeb Bush recently announced how
the State of Florida will fund its share of the cost of the CERP for
next year. President Bush will outline the Administration's
plan for funding the federal share for FY03 in his budget announcement
in February.
For more information on the President's initiatives, please visit
www.whitehouse.gov