Secretary Norton Hails Everglades Agreement

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton today praised President Bush and Florida Governor Jeb Bush for signing an agreement to restore the Everglades, as required under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

"I applaud President Bush and Governor Bush for developing an enforceable and binding agreement to ensure the restoration of natural flows to the Everglades," Norton said. "The agreement is consistent with the law passed by Congress and ensures federal taxpayers get their money's worth. Under the agreement, the state commits to managing its water resources so that water produced by the plan's implementation will be available to restore the natural system. Meanwhile, the federal government commits to be an active partner in obtaining funding and working with the state to implement the plan and 'get the water right.'"

"The signing of this agreement represents significant progress in restoring this unique resource. Our next step will be to work with the Army Corps of Engineers, the state, our tribal partners, and all interested parties to continue to refine the programmatic regulations, which will be issued by the end of this year," she said. "I commend Governor Bush for his leadership in developing the agreement and strong commitment to the Everglades. We are committed to working with the state and all partners to ensure we achieve our primary goal - the restoration of the River of Grass."

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