EAA Southern Storage Reservoir Clears Senate Procedural Hurdle, Final Vote Expected Wednesday
Stuart, Fla. – The United States Senate tonight cleared the last procedural hurdle on the Water Resources Development Act, setting up a vote Wednesday on a bill that includes authorization of the EAA Southern Storage Reservoir (known as S.B. 10 on the state level).
In total, the bill contains 9 provisions authored by Rep. Mast, including a section authorizing the reservoir co-written with Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson. It also contained a provision forcing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to re-do the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS) that determines when the Army Corps is authorized to discharge water from Lake Okeechobee. Together, the provisions are expected to substantially reduce discharges to the east and west coasts.
“Fixing our water issues is without a doubt the most important priority for our community,” Rep. Mast said. “We know people are getting sick, animals are dying and the environment is being absolutely demolished. We cannot wait any longer to get this bipartisan bill I helped write signed into law.”
The House of Representatives has passed the Water Resources Development Act twice with broad bipartisan support, but the Senate has stalled the vote for months. Rep. Mast has repeatedly urged the Senate to act, telling Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recently that “the Treasure Coast is literally dying while this bill languishes in the Senate.
The vote is expected on Wednesday, although exact timing is still to be determined.
Full details on the bill are available athttps://mast.house.gov/wrda.
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