Max Baucus: “we all want to protect the Everglades. I don't think there is a Senator here who does not want to substantially protect…”

“we all want to protect the Everglades. I don't think there is a Senator here who does not want to substantially protect and restore the Everglades. How do we do it? What is the most fair, most equitable way to restore the Everglades? I think it is important to remember we cannot let perfection be the enemy of the good. There is no perfect solution. But there are good solutions. The committee has crafted a good solution. It is true, as the Senator from Virginia and the Senator from Ohio are pointing out, we are breaking precedent. It is true. The provisions of the bill do provide for Uncle Sam to pay 50 percent of the operation and maintenance cost of this very large and very important project. That is true. I share many of the concerns of the Senators, the potential slippery slope; what is this going to lead to? Why are we breaking precedent here? It is a 14-year precedent, I think. It has been some time. What is a Federal interest? Sometimes it is hard to define what a Federal interest is. But just as there are more Federal dollars going in for operation and maintenance, on the other side of the equation we are also breaking another precedent; that is, the State is putting up more of the construction costs. Ordinarily the State would have to put up about 35 percent of the construction costs. It is a big project, about $8 billion. Florida has decided to put up the full 50 percent. So they are paying more than they ordinarily would.”