Amendment would increase funding level to $725
million for EAA Reservoir, other restoration projects
U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today offered an amendment to this year’s Energy and Water Appropriations bill that would increase funding for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration to $725 million for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. This funding would be used to build the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Southern Storage Reservoir, among other Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects.
“This is a historic opportunity to invest in Florida’s water infrastructure, which has major implications not just for the environment, but also for our economy and public health,” Rep. Mast said. “Unfortunately, my urgent requests to increase funding for these projects have not been included in the bill. This amendment is an opportunity to correct that and ensure the Army Corps has the resources needed to accelerate Everglades restoration and stop harmful discharges.”
Earlier this year, Rep. Mast joined the Florida Congressional delegation in urging President Joe Biden to include $725 million for Everglades restoration in his budget request. After President Biden failed to include this amount in his budget request, Rep. Mast submitted a request to the Appropriations Committee to include the full amount in the bill. As currently drafted, however, the bill includes a lower amount of $350 million. Rep. Mast’s amendment would increase the amount to the original request of $725 million.
Earlier this year, Governor Ron DeSantis and environmental organizations also called on President Biden to support a funding level of $725 million per year.
