[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1551-E1552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
OFFERING A SUMMARY OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING ON FLORIDA WATERWAYS
ISSUES
______
HON. PATRICK MURPHY
of florida
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Mr. MURPHY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on October 3rd, we held an
historic bipartisan Congressional briefing on issues affecting the St.
Lucie and Caloosahatchee waterways, bringing national attention to the
issue of toxic waters that have been plaguing the Treasure Coast. For
both those who were unable to attend and for those that were there, I
hope the following summary of the briefing will be helpful. For more
information on the briefing, including a full transcript and video and
presentations from panelists, please visit:
www.PatrickMurphy.house.gov/IndianRiverLagoon.
Community Voices
It was great to see so many familiar faces from the district who were
able to attend our briefing. There was an overwhelming showing of
support, with over a hundred community members who came to bring
national attention to this pressing issue, leaving us with standing
room only. The bus full of dozens of residents that held fundraisers to
make the long journey up to Washington, D.C. was unprecedented, and
their presence helped demonstrate the gravity of this issue and its
impact on the lives of those in the affected communities.
We heard from a variety of community members throughout the briefing
including children who told of how their summer was dramatically
affected by the pollution in the river, and long-time residents who
have seen the problem year after year. We all came together to send
many decision makers at the local, state, and federal levels a clear
message: This is a serious problem that demands solutions.
Panelist Input
Though because of the government shutdown our federal agency
panelists could not attend the briefing, our state and local panelists
gave many perspectives and insights into federal, local and state work
underway and also discussed what else needs to be done in order to
fully address the issue. They included:
Secretary Herschel Vinyard, Florida Department of Environmental
Protection
Ernie Barnett, Assistant Executive Director, Everglades Ecosystem
Restoration, South Florida Water Management District
Dr. Tom Van Lent, Senior Scientist, Everglades Foundation
Senator Joe Negron, Chair of State Select Committee on the Indian
River Lagoon and Lake Okeechobee Basin
Representative Matt Caldwell, Florida House of Representatives--
District 79
Representative Heather Fitzenhagen, Florida House of
Representatives--District 78
Thomas MacVicar, MacVicar Consulting, Inc.
Mark Perry, Executive Director, Florida Oceanographic Society
Martin County Commissioner Chair Sarah Heard
St. Lucie County Commissioner Frannie Hutchinson
Lee County Commissioner Larry Kiker
Mayor Kevin Ruane, Sanibel, Florida
Todd Bonlarron, Legislative Director, Palm Beach County
Mr. Roland Ottolini, Director, Lee County Division of Natural
Resources
Dr. Brian LaPointe, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida
Atlantic University
The panelists highlighted many important points and everyone agreed
that continuing to fight and urge for funding for existing Army Corps
projects is crucial, such as the C-44 Indian River Lagoon Project,
Herbert Hoover Dike repairs, and other Everglades restoration projects
to provide relief to our imperiled waterways. There was also consensus
that provisions in the House Water Resources Reform and Development Act
(WRRDA) will help to move forward on Everglades ecosystem restoration,
which has a huge impact on our area. After passing WRRDA, we will
continue to pressure the Army Corps to complete the Chief's Report for
the Central Everglades Planning Project so that these important
projects can move forward as well.
Member Advocacy
I also was thankful that over 20 Members of Congress came to learn
more about this issue and to hear directly from community members on
how these toxic waters have affected them. Below is a list of which
Members of Congress attended and some of the comments they made:
Senator Bill Nelson--
``There are way too many nutrients in [the water], and I am sure you
have already had the testimony of what happens when there is too many
nutrients. It is not only that bottle, but that has been going on for
years.''
``We have got to continue the appropriations for the Everglades
restoration. We have to keep the fire under the Army Corps of
Engineers.''
``My ask of you all would be to keep up the pressure.''
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi--
``When Patrick Murphy came in with that bottle I was not sure what
was going on. When he told me what that water was, it was really
shocking.''
``The fact that all of you are here is a tribute to how important the
issue is . . . I think your being here and their support for this
elevates this to an issue of national significance.''
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (who was so moved by the briefing
that he visited the district on October 14th to see the problem
firsthand)--
``This is a crucially important issue, not just for Florida, but also
for our nation. This is an extraordinary resource, and Florida is a
resource. I want to thank you for doing those carwashes to come up
here. Saying democracy works is a little tough today, but I have been
in office for 45 years. Democracy works. Democracy works because
conscientious people take their time and effort to communicate their
concerns.''
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill
Shuster--
On WRRDA legislation: ``We worked very hard in the committee to
produce a bipartisan product and went through a number of listening
sessions from local stakeholders to industries and companies that have
interests in the ports, harbors, waterways, and environmental
restoration projects.''
``Both Republicans and Democrats both saw the need to make sure we
move these projects forward faster and I think anybody that runs any
type of organization knows that time is money. So, we get this done
faster and we can save money and get these projects closer to
completion.''
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Nick
Rahall
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Peter DeFazio
Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and
the Environment Ranking Member Tim Bishop
Co-chair of the Everglades Caucus Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart
Co-chair of the Everglades Caucus and the Florida Delegation Rep.
Alcee L. Hastings
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Member Rep. Cheri Bustos
Florida Congressional Delegation Members: Rep. Corrine Brown; Rep.
Ted Deutch;
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Rep. Lois Frankel; Rep. Joe Garcia; Rep. John Mica; Rep. Bill Posey;
Rep. Tom Rooney; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Rep. Daniel Webster;
Rep. Ted Yoho.
Every Member who attended was provided a comprehensive information on
this issue, as well as actions Congress can take to help address this
problem.
While I was extremely pleased to have a number of my colleagues
attend this briefing to hear directly from our community, we have a
long and challenging fight ahead of us to get the message to 200 other
Members of the House to ensure that Congress continues to fund and
authorize projects and initiatives that will help clean the waters of
our local rivers and estuaries.
Common Goals
One of the goals of this briefing was to isolate common goals among
the many parties and stakeholders in the room. Some of the reoccurring
points many stakeholders agree on that need work on the federal level
are:
Continue to advocate to Members of Congress the importance of
Everglades restoration funding
The shocking photos provided by local residents depicting this
devastation to the ecosystem were on full display to all Members, as
well as the presence of so many concerned citizens speaking personally
about how these discharges have impacted them and the community. This
education aspect of the briefing was crucial. With the 22 Members who
attended, they now can help garner support for important measures
related to local environmental projects when they come up for a vote,
helping us advocate for the passage of the House Water Resources Reform
and Development Act (WRRDA) and including needed funding in the
Administration's budget. But our advocacy work isn't done. We still
must make the case that Everglades restoration funding is an important
goal that ALL Members of Congress should support.
Funding to complete Everglades restoration projects
Everyone agreed that continuing to fight and urge for funding for
existing Army Corps projects is crucial. With the involvement of
Congress and federal agency officials, we can work together to
prioritize funding for ongoing projects such as the C-44 Indian River
Lagoon Project, the Kissimmee River restoration project, and other
Everglades restoration projects that once completed will provide relief
to our imperiled waterways. In order for the entire system to function
better, many key components must be able to function. Completing
projects that are already under construction will help us most
effectively clean the waterways of southern Florida.
Continued funding to rehabilitate the Herbert Hoover Dike
One of the biggest problems affecting our waterways is that Lake
Okeechobee can only retain a specific amount of water safely. That is
why the community agrees that the Army Corps must continue its work of
rehabilitating the Herbert Hoover Dike to get it to a state where it
can contain more water safely. Holding more water in the lake is the
most effective method of water retention in the area, and while this
will be a long term project, Congress must act to continue to fund the
critical work of rehabilitating this vulnerable structure.
Passing the House WRRDA bill
There was also consensus that provisions in the House WRRDA bill will
allow state and federal actors to move forward on Everglades ecosystem
restoration, which in turn benefits our district. In addition to
passing WRRDA, we also need to continue to pressure for the Chief's
Report for the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) so that these
important projects can move forward as well. While the CEPP Chief's
Report isn't scheduled to be complete until 2014, the timing of passing
a final WRRDA bill will be crucial.
Urging the Corps to safely reexamine the Lake Okeechobee
Release Schedule
Another issue that was discussed is the need for the Army Corps to
reevaluate at what level the lake can safely retain water by
reassessing the Lake Okeechobee Release Schedule (LORS). I sent a
letter to Army Corps officials just prior to the briefing but we must
continue to urge them to take this action to reduce these harmful
discharges from the lake into the St. Lucie.
Getting federal agencies more involved on the ground
Unfortunately, due to a government shutdown, our federal agency
panelists were unable to attend. Although we were still able to have a
robust and important conversation, it is vital that these federal
agencies become more involved. They each have a role to play, and their
engagement can be helpful to addressing the river issue. I will be
working with my colleagues who attended the briefing to push for this
involvement from agencies such as the Army Corps, NOAA, and Fish and
Wildlife, as well as invite these officials to see the damage firsthand
so they see the urgent need to move forward with these ongoing
projects.
There was also unity on the state moving forward quickly and
aggressively with their water quality implementation plans.
Moving Forward
The briefing successfully brought this important issue into the
national spotlight. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a Congress that
could not even come together to keep the government open, so a fight
for funding to address the pollution impacting our local waterways in
the current ``no spending'' climate will be a challenge, but is a
challenge we must take on. There is a difference between wasteful
spending, something I've been tackling in the past 10 months, and smart
investments such as these projects needed to help our local
environment, that provide a three-to-one return on investments. While I
can't promise that this issue will be solved in the next year or even
the next several years, I do promise to do everything I can to move us
towards this end. I remain focused on this issue of great concern to
our community, our environment, our economy, and our entire way of
life.
____________________