Kissimmee River Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in strong support of my bill, H.R. 3961, the Kissimmee River Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2018.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bishop, Ranking Member Grijalva, Chairman McClintock, Ranking Member Hanabusa, and Congressman Webster for all their collaboration and support on this important bill.

The Kissimmee River forms the headwaters of both Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.

Decades ago, the Federal and State governments, including Florida, instructed the Army Corps of Engineers to channelize this river, leading to a decline in the ecosystem.

Decades later, both the Federal Government and State government got together and spent nearly a billion dollars to restore this iconic river in order to improve recreation activities for Floridians and all Americans; to protect local ecosystems, including endangered species; and, of course, to clean the water that goes to Lake Okeechobee and eventually to the Everglades.

This bill, now that we have spent nearly a billion dollars, will help start us down the road for potential protection, and I am proud to work with both sides of the aisle to make sure that we get it right.

I believe it is imperative for future generations that we use this as an opportunity to safeguard the investment that we have made and to protect this ecosystem for wildlife corridors, for the enjoyment of Floridians and all Americans, for the protection of species, and to make sure that we are protecting the Everglades for future generations.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank, once again, our Natural Resources Committee, including Chairman Bishop, Ranking Member Grijalva, Chairman McClintock, Ranking Member Hanabusa, and Congressman Webster for working with me on this. With their support, this legislation could only be on the floor with them helping out.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in this Chamber to support H.R. 3961.

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