To authorize the exchange of certain land in Everglades National Park.

I want to thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I am actually glad that I am doing this now because the Speaker pro tempore is also from Florida, understands the Everglades very, very well, and has been a strong supporter of Everglades restoration.

Let me just briefly talk about what this is. First, the district that I am privileged to represent includes the Everglades National Park. I spent much of my State legislative career assisting with the implementation of the Everglades restoration plan. This plan is showing extreme success, and this legislation before us today will greatly contribute to that success, to continuing that success.

Mr. Speaker, the people of Florida have a strong commitment to the restoration of the Everglades. Not only is it a national treasure, a global treasure, really an international treasure, tourists from around the country and around the world come to experience the wonders, the beauty that is the Everglades. But the people of Florida as well as the taxpayers of the country have also put a lot of resources to try to make sure that the Everglades is as pristine as possible and gets back to as much of its natural state as is possible.

This legislation will allow for the implementation of a component of the 1994 general reevaluation report that provided for the construction of a buffer and detention system along the eastern boundary of Everglades National Park. This system seeks to establish a hydraulic ridge to both prevent excess loss of seepage from the park and to reestablish the historical surface water flow from Northeast Shark River Slough to Taylor Slough.

Again, as I mentioned before, these are not inexpensive propositions. These are not only expensive, they are also very time-consuming projects.

Again, the people of the State of Florida, the State legislature in the State of Florida, the governor in the State of Florida and again previous governors as well but particularly this governor, Governor Jeb Bush, have shown that they are extremely committed to this effort; and again, the taxpayers, the State legislature and the governor have put in a lot of money to make sure that it is not just the Federal taxpayer, the Federal Government, that is contributing to this wonderful effort.

Specifically, Mr. Speaker, this legislation will authorize the exchange of approximately 1,054 acres between the South Florida Water Management District and the Everglades National Park to carry out the construction of the buffer and detention system. Currently, 2.5 miles of the detention and buffer system have been already constructed, and the Federal lands conveyed in this legislation are to be used by the South Florida Water Management District to construct the remaining 5.5 miles of the system.

This is a vital part of the Everglades restoration that again, I repeat, that both the Federal Government has put a lot of emphasis, a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money, and the State as well; not only the State but also the local taxpayers again through the water management district have also put up a lot of money, a lot of effort, a lot of time to try to get this done. This is a vital part of that restoration.

I particularly need to thank the efforts of Chairman Pombo. Chairman Pombo has been just wonderful to work with on this. His staff has been great. My staff has been working with his staff. They have been extremely receptive, not only receptive but their in-depth knowledge of this national treasure has been wonderful to see. We have not had to educate them on something that those of us in Florida know and love so much. Chairman Pombo and his staff are so familiar with this project and it has been just a wonderful experience.

Again, one of the things that I want to just reemphasize is that this is not a State of Florida project, that this is a national treasure. The Everglades is a national treasure that is also a threatened national treasure, an extremely delicate ecosystem, one that is vital for the entire State and I would then say for the entire Nation. When we think about the Everglades, we should not only think about that swampland that a lot of people just see in the airplanes when they are flying by, but we should also think about the impact that that has on, for example, Florida Bay, Biscayne Bay, the Florida Keys, the reef system. It is all interconnected. The heart of that is a vital, clean, vibrant, alive Florida Everglades.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank again Chairman Pombo and his staff for allowing me to bring this bill up here.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3785) to authorize the exchange of certain land in Everglades National Park, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3785, introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario

Diaz-Balart) and amended by the Committee on Resources, would authorize the exchange of approximately 1,054 acres of land between the South Florida Water Management District and the Everglades National Park. The Federal lands conveyed are to be used by the South Florida Water Management District for the C-111 project, including restoration of the Everglades natural system. The C-111 project, located on the eastern boundary of the Everglades, would restore habitat in the national park that has been adversely affected by projects to restore more natural flows of water to the park's eastern panhandle, Taylor Slough and Florida Bay.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3785 is supported by the majority and minority of the Committee on Resources and by the administration. I would urge adoption of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and privilege to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz- Balart), the sponsor of this important legislation, a newcomer to the Congress but one who is well schooled in public affairs and in legislation as a former member of the Florida legislature.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Ms. BORDALLO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3785, as amended, represents a cooperative effort among the bill's sponsor, the Committee on Resources, the National Park Service and other Federal and State agencies to help restore natural water flows that are very important to the health and well-being of the Everglades in Florida. This legislation presents a workable solution to the resource management needs in this area, and we support adoption of the bill by the House today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Energy Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2457 and the Senate proceed to its consideration in conjunction with Calendar No. 653, H.R. 3785, en bloc.

I ask unanimous consent that the bills be read a third time, passed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements be printed in the Record.