Clawson Fights for Amendment to Divert $50 Million Towards Water Quality in South Florida

Press Release

Last night, Congressman Curt Clawson (FL-19) introduced a floor amendment to the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act that would redirect $50 million from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve account into the Army Corps Construction account, which finances the nation's water infrastructure projects in South Florida.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve account is currently funded at $257 million, an increase in millions of dollars in each of the recent Omnibus bills. Overall, Strategic Reserve funding is currently $68 million higher than it was back in the 2014 Omnibus. Clawson zeroed in on this cost issue because the amount of barrels stored is down since 2012.

After introducing the amendment, Clawson stated, "I want the Army Corps Construction account to increase by $50 million because we are suffering a year of ecological and economic disaster in South Florida. This is an "El Nino year' and the rains have raised the levels of stagnant water in Lake Okeechobee beyond the capacity of the Herbert Hoover Dike. Consequently, unwanted fresh waters flow east and west down the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers polluting the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Countless fish and wildlife pay a price with their lives and our fishermen and tourism industry pay a major economic price as well."

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