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TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist today applauded
the U.S. Senate for passing the 2007 Water Resources
Development Act (WRDA), which is necessary for the
continued restoration of the Everglades. Enacting WRDA
2007 will bring a number of critical Florida projects
that have been awaiting federal authorization and
funding one step closer to implementation. The U.S.
House of Representatives passed its version of WRDA 2007
in April.
"I urge both chambers of Congress to name conferees
to quickly hammer out the differences and get this bill
to the President for his signature,” said Governor
Charlie Crist. “Florida has been waiting a long time for
this bill, and I am so encouraged that we are almost
there. I can't thank the Florida delegation enough for
their hard work the past several months helping us move
this bill forward and for ensuring Florida's priorities
are met in WRDA 2007.”
Restoring America’s Everglades is reviving habitat
for more than 60 threatened and endangered species,
establishing a reliable supply of water for millions of
Floridians and providing flood control consistent with
the restoration. To date, Florida has invested more than
$2 billion in the 30-year, $10.9 billion Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), the 50/50 state and
federal partnership to restore and protect the
Everglades.
“We are grateful to Congress for considering the
environmental interests of Florida and taking this
important step to reauthorize the Water Resources
Development Act,” said Florida Department of
Environmental Protection Secretary Michael W. Sole. “We
remain dedicated to working with Congress and the
Florida delegation to promote the actions needed to
fully and completely restore the River of Grass.”
WRDA 2007 authorizes new projects under CERP, in
addition to including necessary language to fund
previously authorized projects to reflect today’s costs.
Other critical authorizations within WRDA for Florida
include Picayune Strand restoration, dredging projects
as well as water reuse and supply projects.
“I would like to thank Florida’s champions in the
U.S. Senate – Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez –
for working together to ensure Florida’s needs were well
met as the Senate considered and passed this important
legislation,” said Governor Crist. “I’d also like to
thank the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Senate
Committee on Environment and Public Works, Senators
Boxer and Inhofe, for helping guide this bill to
passage.”
On April 19, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives
passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (H.R.
1495), which will provide for the conservation and
development of water and related resources, authorized
the Secretary of the Army to construct various projects
for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United
States, and serve other purposes. With the Senate’s
passage of WRDA, the bill is on track for final passage
by the end of summer.
Demonstrating its continued commitment to restoring
America’s Everglades, Florida’s 2007-08 budget, as
passed by the legislature and under review by Governor
Crist, includes $200 million for the restoration and
protection of the River of Grass, allocating $100
million for Everglades restoration, $54 million for the
restoration of Lake Okeechobee, as well as $40 million
to protect the health of the Caloosahatchee and St.
Lucie estuaries. | 
