U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18), U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (FL) and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (FL) teamed up to write language authorizing the EAA Storage Reservoir, to be built south of Lake Okeechobee, which is included in the compromise version of the Water Resources Development Act unveiled today.
“The EAA Storage Reservoir is a critical part of the plan to reduce harmful discharges to the east and west coasts of Florida and restore America’s Everglades,” Rep. Mast, Sen. Rubio and Sen. Nelson said. “Working together, we’ve secured authorization of this reservoir in the compromise version of the Water Resources Development Act. Both the House and Senate must act now to pass this bill, and once the reservoir is authorized, we are committed to working together to secure funding to get it designed and built as quickly as possible.”
The text of the Water Resources Development Act announced today is available here. Senate and House leaders—including Rep. Mast, Sen. Rubio and Sen. Nelson—negotiated this version of the bill based on a measure that previously passed the U.S. House of Representatives and the version awaiting action in the United States Senate. Votes in both chambers are expected this month.