The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Chuck Schumer
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Peter DeFazio
Chairman
Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Tom Carper
Chairman
Committee on Environment & Public Works
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Chairman DeFazio, and Chairman Carper:
On behalf of the undersigned conservation organizations dedicated to restoring America’s Everglades, we write to support the recent letter by ten Members of Congress from Florida requesting inclusion in the American Jobs Plan legislation of a necessary $5 billion Federal investment to complete Everglades restoration in accordance with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Integrated Delivery Schedule (IDS). Restoration of America’s Everglades is a national climate imperative. A restored Everglades will enhance the carbon sequestration capacity of an ecosystem that spans 3 million acres and serves as one of the East Coast’s largest carbon banks. Congress has a generational opportunity to complete one of the world’s largest ecosystem restoration projects and reverse large scale manmade impacts on our environment.
Restoring America’s Everglades is not an altruistic concept. There is a clear roadmap for completion and all that is needed is financial investment. The IDS is a detailed document showing how $5 billion dollars of Federal funding, leveraged by State match, will be expended to complete multi-benefit projects that increase the resilience of communities and economies which are among the most vulnerable in the country to climate change. These projects also provide direct benefits to Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park, and Big Cypress National Preserve – three jewels within America’s National Park System. As noted in the Congressional letter, USACE confirms they can spend the $5 billion in five years. In fact, $2 billion of that funding will be obligated quickly to construct the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir. This flagship project of Everglades restoration is critical to fully harnessing the system of existing and planned projects. Both the Senate and House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittees specifically called out the need for progress on the EAA Reservoir in their FY22 appropriations bills.
The completion of Everglades restoration will galvanize national investment in climate friendly ecosystem restoration projects. Everglades restoration represents a complex system of complex projects on a scale unseen anywhere else. When appropriately funded and completed, America’s Everglades will be a global model for the ability to reverse human impact and combat climate change. Lessons learned and best practices from Everglades restoration can be harnessed elsewhere for future ecosystem restoration projects across the country. Financially, a one-time $5 billion investment will result in a lack of need for Everglades funding starting in this upcoming fiscal year and enable robust funding for other worthy projects nationally. It will also enable any bipartisan infrastructure funding to be focused on projects across the country. Moreover, a one-time $5 billion investment is projected to save nearly $2 billion over time, as opposed to annual underfunding in regular appropriations.
There are two paths ahead. One includes an infusion of $5 billion to restore America’s Everglades as a global banner for ecosystem restoration. Without this investment, the other path begins in FY23 when the single year need for Everglades restoration funding will be nearly five times the current funding levels. The path of underfunding Everglades restoration has been tried, and we now have an opportunity to finish the job and secure a major climate win.
Sincerely,
Lise Aangeenbrug
Executive Director
Outdoor Industry Association
Bruce Akin
Chief Executive Officer
Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.)
Capt. Daniel Andrews
Executive Director
Captains for Clean Water
Benji Backer
President
American Conservation Coalition
Brad Beefus
President
Scientific Angler
Derek Brockbank
Executive Director
Coastal States Organization
Jeff Crane
President and CEO
Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation
Eric Eikenberg
Chief Executive Officer
The Everglades Foundation
Paola Ferreira
Executive Director
Tropical Audubon Society
Whit Fosburgh
President and CEO
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
Brian Gorski
Executive Director
Coastal Conservation Association Florida
Elizabeth Gray
Interim Chief Conservation Officer
National Audubon Society
Geoff Haskett
President and CEO
National Wildlife Refuge Association
Emma Haydocy
Executive Director
Florida Bay Forever
Frank Hugelmeyer
President
National Marine Manufacturers Association
Glenn Hughes
President
American Sportfishing Association
Jim McDuffie
President and CEO
Bonefish and Tarpon Trust
Rob Moher
President and CEO
Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Collin O’Mara
President and CEO
National Wildlife Federation
Ryan Orgera, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation
Simon Perkins
President
The Orvis Company
Mark D. Perry
Executive Director
Florida Oceanographic Society
Theresa Pierno
President and CEO
National Parks Conservation Association
Adam Putnam
Chief Executive Officer
Ducks Unlimited
Jason Schratwieser
President
International Game Fish Association
You can also download the letter by clicking here.
Photo Courtesy of Coastal Conservation Association Florida
