Lend Your Voice to the Everglades: Restore Federal Funding Crucial to Restoration

Federal funding for important US Army Corps of Engineers Everglades restoration efforts has been seriously cut from the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations bill currently making its way through Congress. 

While the House of Representatives approved the President's request of $165.352 million for Everglades projects in FY 2007, the Senate Appropriations Committee's version of the bill contains only $101.289 million. This amounts to a huge cut in funding of Everglades restoration projects that are already behind schedule. 

Your help is needed to call upon members of the Florida Congressional Delegation to support the Everglades restoration funding levels provided by the House Energy and Water Subcommittee and the full House Appropriations Committee. 

HOW YOU CAN  HELP
The cuts made by the Senate Appropriations Committee are not justified and, if enacted, will do great damage to Everglades restoration.

· If you live outside of Florida, add your name at right to join our petition to the Florida delegation. The Everglades are internationally significant and this funding will support not only the ecology but the ecotourism economy of the Everglades. Your willingness to visit the Everglades and spend money in Florida hinges on the success of restoration. 

· If you live in Florida, use our easy email function to write your Senators and Congressperson, asking them to reinstate this crucial funding.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Restore Everglades Funding Cut from Army Corps Appropriations!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

We, concerned citizens from across the country, thank you for your strong support for Everglades restoration and its funding. The Everglades is an international treasure, and a destination for ecotourists like myself. Your support of Everglades restoration not only supports the South Florida ecology, but also the South Florida economy.

As you are aware, the Senate Appropriations Committee recently recommended a substantial reduction to the President's budget request for important Army Corps of Engineers Everglades restoration efforts in its Energy and Water legislation. While the House approved the President's request of $165.352 million for FY 2007, the Senate Appropriations Committee's version of the bill contains only $101.289 million. This translates to a huge funding cut for Everglades restoration projects that are already behind schedule.

We ask you to support a restoration of these unwise cuts at every opportunity.

Signed by:

Campaign Launched:
July 17, 2006


Background Information

The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a federal-state partnership to bring this important ecosystem back to health, the nation’s first and largest undertaking to restore a natural treasure of this magnitude. Success of this plan depends on adequate funding to get projects planned and implemented. The President recognized this in his budget request for fiscal year 2007, and the House affirmed this in its appropriations legislation. The Senate Appropriations Committee, however, is putting restoration of America’s Everglades at risk by cutting funding for critical projects.

Specifically, the cuts in the Senate version include the following:

Modified Water Deliveries (Mod Waters) project construction funding: The President's budget requested $35 million for the Corps of Engineers for this vital project.  The House bill provides that amount.  However, the bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee provides no funding at all.

The Mod Waters project was authorized in 1989.  This project's primary purpose is to provide sufficient water to Everglades National Park.  It was originally estimated to be completed in 1997.  The WRDA 2000 legislation, which authorized the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), provides that Mod Waters must be completed before several CERP projects that restore water flows to the Everglades can move forward. With full funding, the project should be completed within approximately three years.  The failure to fund this project constitutes a serious threat to the future of the Everglades.

CERP Planning and Science: Each of the 40 or more major CERP projects must undergo extensive planning and scientific design and review with the local sponsor before being submitted to Congress for authorization.  This involves the preparation of the project implementation reports.  Only two of these major projects that must be authorized have undergone full planning and design —Indian River Lagoon and Picayune Strand.  For this planning and scientific process for CERP projects, the President requested, and the House bill provides $72 million.  The Senate Committee reduced that amount to $53 million.  If the Senate reduction in this planning funding prevails, Everglades restoration will be significantly delayed.  The final legislation should include the amount in the House bill that was requested by the President.

Kissimmee River Restoration: This successful project has already returned much of the Kissimmee River to its natural state, correcting earlier Corps of Engineers work that had turned that beautiful river into the C-38 Canal.  So far some 7.5 miles of the canal have been filled, allowing the river to flow naturally as it once did.  Much wildlife has returned to the area.  In fact, the Kissimmee River restoration has become a real showcase of success for Everglades restoration. The President requested, and the House bill provides, $50.264 million for this project, but the Senate committee provided only $40 million.  This 20% cut must be restored.