Yesterday, ConservAmerica wrote to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure expressing our support for including Rep. Mast’s Northern Estuaries Restoration Plan Act (H.R.7520) in the Water Resources Development Act of 2022
“Helping to reform, strengthen, and improve our ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation, flood and storm protection, and other water resources infrastructure ranks among our highest priorities. WRDA plays a critical role in these efforts, supporting local, regional, and national projects that protect natural resources and communities, as well as creating jobs and enhancing competitiveness. In this regard, we urge you to include H.R 7520 the Northern Estuaries Restoration Plan (NERP) Act in the underlying bill.
NERP would direct the United States Army Corp of Engineers to develop a plan to improve water quality in Florida’s Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee Estuary, Charlotte Harbor, the Indian River Lagoon, the Lake Worth Lagoon, and the St. Lucie Estuary – areas that for years have been plagued by poor water quality and environmental degradation.
While the Everglades restoration efforts have been a high priority for Congress through the Comprehensive Environmental Restoration Plan, the water quality of Lake Okeechobee remains significantly impaired by historic loading of excess levels of nutrients. This continues to have devastating impacts on downstream estuaries, wildlife and communities that suffer from poor water quality and deadly algal blooms. NERP would enhance the ecology and economic competitiveness of the region and make WRDA a stronger piece of legislation. We urge you to include these vital provisions in the underlying legislative package.
Read the whole letter here.