For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 9, 2002
President Bush Takes Action to Help Restore Everglades
Statement by the President
On June 4, 2001, I joined the Governor of Florida in visiting the
Everglades. The Everglades and the entire south Florida
ecosystem are a unique national treasure. The restoration of
this ecosystem is a priority for my Administration, as well as for
Governor Bush. Today we are very pleased to solidify our
commitment and full partnership in this unprecedented endeavor by
signing a joint agreement to ensure that adequate water supplies will
be available to benefit State and federally owned natural resources.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2000 authorized the
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The Plan has a
projected cost of $7.8 billion over 30 years, the largest ecosystem
restoration project ever undertaken. The Plan establishes a unique
50/50 cost-sharing partnership between the State of Florida and the
Federal Government.
A critical component of the Plan relates to the supply and
management of water for multiple uses in South Florida -- restoration,
municipal, agricultural, and flood control. The Congress
determined that the overarching objective of the Plan is the
restoration, preservation, and protection of the South Florida
ecosystem, while providing for other water-related needs of the region,
including water supply and flood protection.
Because the Federal Government's primary interest is in restoration
and protection of the federally owned natural resources in the State,
the Congress called for the President and the Governor to agree
formally that the State would reserve under State law for each
restoration project water sufficient to meet the needs of the South
Florida ecosystem, including Everglades National Park, the Big Cypress
National Preserve, and other natural areas owned by the State and
Federal Government. The reservation of water under State law
will be included in the Project Implementation Report for each project
and will be consistent with the Plan.
My Administration is deeply committed to the Federal/State
Everglades partnership, and the Department of the Interior and the Army
Corps of Engineers will have important roles in this
effort. On January 16, 2002, Secretary of the Interior
Norton will convene a meeting in Plantation, Florida, of the South
Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force comprised of representatives
of Federal, State, regional, local, and tribal governments to discuss
issues involving Everglades restoration including the recently released
draft programmatic regulations by the Army Corps of Engineers.
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