WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today cosponsored a resolution formally commemorating seventy-five years of the Everglades National Park.

“The Everglades is a national treasure—home to more species of plants and animals than any other ecosystem in the continental United States. President Truman knew that it was worth protecting seventy-five years ago, and now it’s up to us to protect it for the next seventy-five,” Rep. Mast said. “It’s more important than ever that we continue to prioritize projects like the EAA Reservoir to send the water south and restore this one-in-a-million ecosystem.”

H.Res. 1474 was introduced by Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20) and has earned bipartisan support. It has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where it awaits further consideration.

Rep. Mast has been an outspoken supporter of initiatives to send water south and restore the Everglades.

BACKGROUND:

• Rep. Mast successfully authorized the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Southern Storage Reservoir as part of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2018.
• He passed additional legislation in WRDA 2020 to clarify that the Army Corps does not need a “new start” or additional authorization to begin construction of the EAA Southern Storage Reservoir. His amendment clarified the intent of Congress so that the Army Corps must end their bureaucratic delay and begin construction on this critical project that will expand the system’s capacity and maximize the amount of water that can be sent south to the Everglades.
• In the House-approved version of WRDA 2022, Rep. Mast successfully included report language that requires the Army Corps to prioritize and expedite completion of the EAA Reservoir.
• Rep. Mast has advocated year after year for full funding for Everglades restoration. He has led the Florida delegation to request funding during the annual appropriations process, pushed the Biden Administration to prioritize Everglades restoration funding, and sponsored language to plus up funding for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration (SFER) Program by $318 million, in order to meet the $725 million per year necessary to fully fund the program.

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