I'm excited to share with you two bills that we've passed to make progress on environmental issues facing our community:

First, we passed the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act to help protect and preserve our coasts. As the Audubon Society said, our bill benefits "taxpayers, wildlife, and waterfront communities." I was a strong supporter and early co-sponsor of this bill. Getting it through the House of Representatives is a good, bipartisan accomplishment.

This week, Congress also passed my bill - the Jupiter Island Land Transfer Act - to ensure that the habitats of endangered turtles and other animals are preserved by expanding the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. Being good stewards of our environment begins with strong conservation efforts and protecting our environment is critical to our businesses and livelihoods. My bill is now headed to the President's desk to become law!

These are just a few of the important moves we're making to protect our environment. As our fight for clean water continues, I will make sure you have all the information you need to participate in the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS) review process that I required the Army Corps to conduct as part of the Water Resources Development Act, which we got signed into law in October.