Project Will Help Local Waterways by Sending More Clean Water South
Washington, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) made the following statement regarding the inclusion of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) in the Senate’s draft water bill text. Murphy has been a vocal advocate for this project’s authorization to help restore the Everglades’ natural southward flow as part of his ongoing efforts to address the crisis in local waterways.
“After three years of united advocacy among the Florida Congressional delegation and community leaders, it was great to see the Senate include language to authorize CEPP in its 2016 water bill. This is a major win for our community and the fight to protect our waterways,” said Murphy. “By working together, we were able to reach this critical milestone and will continue to make progress to move this and other Everglades projects forward to send more clean water south.”
Committed to continuing the fight to improve the health of local waterways, Murphy recently led the Florida delegation in calling on U.S. House and Senate leaders to include Congressional authorization of CEPP in the 2016 Water Resources Development Act to allow this vital project to move forward without further delay. He also led a bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers in introducing H.R. 230 at the beginning of this Congress to authorize CEPP after the Army Corps finalized its Chief’s Report for the project in December of 2014.
Background on CEPP:
CEPP is a $2 billion series of engineering projects intended to collect and channel water around Lake Okeechobee south into the center of the Everglades, thereby reducing harmful discharges into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries and improving the health of the entire ecosystem. CEPP was not included in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had not completed a key report approving the project before the bill was signed into law on June 10, 2014. The Chief’s Report was finalized on December 23, 2014, which allows Congress to now take action to authorize it. Once authorized, the project can begin to receive federal funding and construction can begin.
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Erin Moffet (202-225-3026)
