Following Senate passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) today, U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) is calling on the House to also pass this important legislation before the end of September when Congress adjourns for a four week recess. In July, Murphy led a bipartisan letter from Florida members urging swift passage of WRDA that includes language to authorize the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) to help send more clean water south of Lake Okeechobee.
"While there is no single solution that will solve the crisis in our waterways overnight, we must move forward on the projects that will provide long-term relief and move us towards the ultimate goal of sending more clean water south. CEPP and other critical Everglades restoration projects are vital to our ongoing work to do just that," said Murphy. "Now that the Senate has acted to authorize CEPP, the House should swiftly follow suit – voting on WRDA before adjourning at the end of the month. This bill has broad bipartisan support and Floridians should not have to wait any longer for this important project to get underway. Let's get it done."
Since his first days in office, Murphy has been a vocal advocate for CEPP and other critical Everglades restoration projects to help restore the natural southward flow of the system and address the ongoing crisis in Florida's waterways. Before the 2016 Water Resources Development Act was introduced, he led the Florida delegation in calling on Congressional leaders to include CEPP authorization in the bill as well as introducing H.R. 230, a bipartisan bill to authorize CEPP after the Army Corps finalized its Chief's Report for the project in December of 2014.
Background on the Central Everglades Planning Project:
CEPP is a $2 billion series of engineering projects intended to collect and channel water around Lake Okeechobee south into the center of the Everglades, thereby reducing harmful discharges into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries and improving the health of the entire ecosystem. CEPP was not included in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had not completed a key report approving the project before the bill was signed into law on June 10, 2014. The Chief's Report was finalized on December 23, 2014, which allows Congress to now take action to authorize it. Once authorized, the project can receive federal funding and construction can begin.
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