At the urging of Florida Congressman Brian Mast, the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed a critical increase in funding for Everglades restoration.
The appropriations package will nearly triple funding for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration, which funds the Everglades Agricultural Area Southern Storage Reservoir Project, from $67.5 million in FY 2019 to $200 million for FY 2020.
“After a year of fighting tooth and nail, today Congress finally stopped kicking the can down the road and came together to triple funding for Everglades restoration projects, including the southern storage reservoir,” Mast said. “This is a huge victory for the Everglades and our fight to stop harmful discharges.”
In addition to funding Everglades restoration, Mast also fought for and secured additional water quality funding, including:
This appropriations bill is expected to be passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump in the coming days.