John Shaw: “I think the points have been made here today, but there is one thing that I want the Members to leave here really…”

“I think the points have been made here today, but there is one thing that I want the Members to leave here really impressed upon their mind, and that is, why are we in Florida waiting in line. Several reasons. One, there is a national park at stake, the life of a national park. There is the water supply for south Florida. There is the health of the Florida Bay, which is the nursery for all of the fisheries around the coast of Florida. This is irreparable damage occurring in south Florida. It is not a question, We do not have the luxury of being able to wait 2 or 3 years. The damage would be complete, and it would be final. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to voice my support for Representative Foley's amendment which provides for a $210 million appropriation that will be used to conduct restoration activities in the Everglades National Park and to purchase lands within the Everglades Agricultural Area. The Everglades' unique, fragile ecosystem has been strained, and it is now estimated that 130,000 acres of land need to be taken out of production in the Everglades Agricultural Area [EAA] to regain a reasonable flow of clean water through the Everglades and into Florida Bay. Immediate action is needed to halt the rapid deterioration of the Everglades, which are dying at the incredible rate of 3 acres everyday.”