Bill to save SW Florida passes congress! But the fight has just started. For more info on the Lake Okeechobee release and what you can do, visit our Facebook page. Thank you Congressman Clawson for working hard to save SW Florida! At the bottom of this article is his videoed presentation to Congress. Directly below is the press release of the passing of the bill.
At the bottom I have provided the addresses for the EPA reporting information. I urge everyone to report pollution of our bays and estuaries by the Lake Okeechobee release.
We need to write to all the representatives of the state and tell them that they are killing a 4.6 billion dollar industry that contributes directly to the state coffers. Not only are they killing the environment but our economy and Florida’s economy at the same time.
Dead dolphins and other sea life are washing up on our shores at an alarming rate.
What good are environmental laws if the Army Corp ignores them? HOW DOES THIS LOOK TO OUR TOURISTS? We are told the Lake O run off is harmless by the officials releasing the water. What they don’t tell you about is all the nutrient and pollution rich run off and irrigation water that is re pumped back into Lake O and then released into the river.
Tell state representatives it is time for a permanent solution to this problem. A diversion of the water into a southern flow way is what is needed and it is time.
House Passes Clawson Bill To Redirect 17,044 Acres in SWFL To The Coastal Barrier Resources System
Bill Expected to Pass Senate
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a bill by Congressman Curt Clawson (FL-19) to place 17,044 acres of land in Collier County – in perpetuity – to the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS). Congress created the CBRS in 1982 with the Coastal Barrier Resources Act. This law preserves the ecological integrity of coastal areas that serve as important barriers against winds and tidal forces caused by coastal storms – and reduces further development in these critical areas.
Clawson’s bill includes portions of Marco Island, Keewaydin Island, and Cape Romano – part of a pristine, picturesque Ten Thousand Islands chain that begins 20 miles south of Naples. These newly preserved areas cover five geographic units, part of over 40,000 contiguous acres that will now be permanently protected. These new maps have passed public review, OMB review, and have been released by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to Congress.
Clawson’s bill will create the largest grouping of CBRS units nationwide – protecting the Florida Everglades and ecosystem, aquatic plants and animals, other wildlife, and private properties from flood and storm damage. The new maps also correct errors in outdated 40-year-old maps that erroneously placed 99 acres of privately owned development in the area into the CBRS, affecting over 1,600 Southwest Floridians.
Following Clawson’s speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives he stated:
“It was my life-long concern for the environment, and involvement in water quality issues in Southwest Florida, that led me into Congress. So the passage of H.R. 890 is especially rewarding to me. This bill will have a profound, permanent, and positive impact on the ecology, property values, and quality of life in Southwest Florida for all generations to come.
The 15 miles of coastal barrier protected by this bill is sound economics, as it will grow Southwest Florida’s real estate values and tourism industries, which attract over five million visitors each year, generating $4.6 billion in annual revenues.”
For more information, check out the EPA website to report violations or to learn more about nutrient pollution.
