To express the sense of Congress relating to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

SA 3066. Mr. McCONNELL (for Mr. Rubio (for himself and Mr. Nelson))
proposed an amendment to amendment SA 2910 proposed by Mr. Shelby to
the bill H.R. 5895, making appropriations for energy and water
development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September
30, 2019, and for other purposes; as follows:

At the end of title I of division A, add the following:
Sec. 1__. (a) Congress finds that--
(1) the restoration of the Everglades, as described in the
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan authorized by title
VI of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (Public Law
106-541; 114 Stat. 2680) (referred to in this section as the
``Plan''), is the most ambitious environmental restoration
program in history;
(2) the overarching objectives of the Plan are the
restoration, preservation, and protection of the south
Florida ecosystem, while providing for other water-related
needs of the region, including water supply and flood
protection;
(3) the Plan should continue to be implemented as
authorized--
(A) to ensure--
(i) the protection of water quality in the south Florida
ecosystem;
(ii) the reduction of the loss of fresh water from the
south Florida ecosystem; and
(iii) the improvement of the environment of the south
Florida ecosystem; and
(B) to achieve and maintain the benefits to the natural
system and human environment described in the Plan; and

[[Page S4351]]

(4) the equal partnership between the Federal Government
and the State of Florida remains essential to accomplishing
the objectives of the Plan.
(b) It is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the discharge of excess water by the Corps of Engineers
from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee Estuary and the
Indian River Lagoon represents a significant loss of fresh
water from the South Florida ecosystem;
(2) the diversion of those Lake Okeechobee discharges to
Plan projects or features like the Everglades Agricultural
Area Storage Reservoir, designed to store and treat water
prior to release into the Central Everglades, is an essential
source of fresh water for meeting the objectives of the Plan;
and
(3) the Plan authorizes a 50/50 Federal-State cost share
for all aspects of congressionally authorized restoration
projects, including water quality project features or
components.
______