Monthly Column: Washington Update

Press Release

Monthly Column: Washington Update

Last month, Congress passed a number of bills that will help to improve water quality, better protect the environment, and fight the scourge of red tide - all of which are vital to making Southwest Florida a great place to live, work and visit.

On August 1st, the House passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), legislation that will authorize funding for a number of water projects across the country. WRDA is an important tool in helping to restore the Everglades, protect our beaches and waterways from floods and storms, and improve water quality in Southwest Florida and beyond.

Several projects contained in the WRDA bill benefit the Naples area, including studies on restoring water quality and supply at Vanderbilt Beach Lagoon and on providing shoreline erosion protection and hurricane and storm damage reduction on Vanderbilt, Park Shore, and Naples Beaches. The legislation also includes authorization for a project to improve water quality in the Gordon River.

In addition, the legislation authorizes $1.4 billion in federal funding for long-overdue Everglades restoration, including $375 million for Picayune Strand in Collier County.

As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I've been fighting for passage of this bill since I first came to Congress. Congress has not passed a WRDA bill in the last seven years, creating a backlog of infrastructure projects across the country. Our investment in WRDA today will pay untold dividends in the years to come, and I hope the Senate will pass this critical bill when they reconvene in September.

Fighting for Red Tide Research Dollars

Earlier this year, I introduced the Save Our Shores Act, which would authorize funding for red tide research and require that these funds be awarded on a peer-reviewed, scientific basis. My legislation already has 28 cosponsors and I am working to get a hearing held on my bill in the House Science Committee.

Additionally, the House moved forward on authorizing funding for red tide research in July. Included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill was an authorization of $90 million over the next three years for red tide research, which is one of the tenets of the Save Our Shores Act.

Although the appropriations bill only contains $8.9 million in actual funding - far less than what is needed to address the scourge of red tide - I was able to obtain a commitment from the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science that he will work to find ways to increase the actual funding for red tide research.

For too long, our shores have been plagued by this nuisance, which has long-lasting economic, environmental, and health implications for the region. The sooner we can determine what is causing these extended blooms, the sooner we can develop solutions to prevent red tide from destroying our coastline and economy.

I will continue fighting for this vital funding and I remain optimistic that the House will act soon on the Save Our Shores Act.

I encourage you to contact me with your thoughts, ideas or concerns as we continue to protect Naples' - and the rest of Southwest Florida's - fragile environment.

Source