Florida, feds agree on big Everglades restoration plan

[babylonsister]

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/08/14/Florida-feds-agree-on-big-Everglades-plan/UPI-83011250272353/

Florida, feds agree on big Everglades plan
Published: Aug. 14, 2009 at 1:52 PM


MIAMI, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Florida and federal officials say they finally have reached a deal that promises much-needed money for a massive Everglades restoration project.

The agreement, confirmed Friday in letters from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ends at least eight years of bickering over how to split a ballooning bill, expected to top $22 billion, and presumably clears the way to quickly begin long-stalled construction work, The Miami Herald reported.

The plan details how the South Florida Water Management District and the Corps of Engineers will share costs and duties for 68 projects Congress approved in 2000 to restore the natural flow of the River of Grass.

The agreement means nearly a half-billion dollars pledged by the Obama administration over the next two years can begin to flow.

[polichick]

1. Great news! Activists have been fighting on behalf of the Everglades for decades...

...at least since Marjory Stoneman Douglas published RIVER OF GRASS in 1947. I was lucky enough to meet her at a booksigning celebration for her 100th birthday ~ what a woman!

[dhill926]

2. Great news, indeed.

The Everglades are stunningly beautiful.........and fragile........

[kestrel91316]

3. Amazing what happens when an adult who gives a damn about the

environment is in the WH