Porter Goss: “I commend my friends, Mr. Boehlert and Chairman Shuster, for their dedicated work. The citizens of Florida's southwest…”

“I commend my friends, Mr. Boehlert and Chairman Shuster, for their dedicated work. The citizens of Florida's southwest coast recognize the importance of maintaining proper stewardship of our water resources. I am very pleased that this bill contains vital Everglades restoration provisions to promote the innovative partnership that has formed between the State of Florida and the Army Corps of Engineers; speeding up the restoration process by many years through proactively reducing bureaucratic red tape and formalizing the joint Federal-State working group. I am also pleased this bill includes legislation introduced by my Florida colleague Clay Shaw that will overturn an unfortunate Presidential policy and ensure the continued involvement of the corps in worthwhile beach restoration projects. Overall, this is a good bill for Florida's citizens and Florida's environment as it is for all America and I urge my colleagues to support it.”