Order Code RS22048
February 11, 2005
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Everglades Restoration:
The Federal Role in Funding
Pervaze A. Sheikh
Analyst in Environmental and Natural Resource Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Nicole T. Carter
Analyst in Environmental Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Summary
In 2000, Congress approved a 30-year, $7.8 billion restoration plan, termed the
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), for the Everglades ecosystem in
southern Florida, and authorized an initial set of projects at a cost of $1.4 billion. The
federal government is expected to pay half the plan’s costs, and an array of state, tribal,
and local agencies the other half. In addition to the activities under CERP, other federal
and state efforts also are contributing to Everglades restoration. To date, all of these
efforts combined represent an investment of approximately $3.6 billion in state funds
and $2.3 billion in federal funds since FY1993. Everglades funding receives attention
not only from those interested in Everglades restoration, but also from stakeholders of
other restoration initiatives such as those in coastal Louisiana, the Great Lakes, and
Chesapeake Bay. The debate and resolution of issues surrounding the authorization and
appropriations for Everglades restoration projects could have implications for large-
scale restoration initiatives elsewhere. This report provides information on federal
appropriations for Everglades restoration, and discusses some issues related to the
authorization and appropriations for restoration projects. It will be updated biannually.
Introduction
The Florida Everglades are a unique network of subtropical wetlands that is now half
its original size. The federal government has had a long history of involvement in the
Everglades, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) constructing flood control
projects beginning in the 1940s that shunted water away from the Everglades. Many
factors, including these flood control projects and agricultural and urban development,
have contributed the shrinking and altering of the wetlands ecosystem. Federal agencies
began ecosystem restoration activities in the Everglades 15 years ago, but it was not until
2000 that the majority of restoration activities became coordinated under an integrated
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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plan. With the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (WRDA 2000; P.L. 106-541),
Congress approved the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) as a
framework for restoration of the Everglades and authorized $700 million for the federal
share of appropriations for initial projects. According to the process established in
WRDA 2000, additional Everglades projects are to be presented to Congress for
authorization as their planning is completed. Once authorized, the projects will be
eligible to receive appropriations from the federal government.
Restoring the Everglades is the largest financial investment in ecosystem restoration
authorized by Congress to date. Thus, stakeholders in other large-scale restoration
initiatives look to the Everglades as a model and a test case. Some believe the types of
activities funded and the level and conditions of funding for the Everglades may set a
precedent for other restoration initiatives. This report summarizes the process, history,
and current funding of Everglades restoration.
CERP Authorizations
CERP focuses on increasing storage of excess water in the rainy season to provide
more water during the dry season for the ecosystem, and for urban and agricultural users.
(For more information on CERP, see CRS Report RS20702, South Florida Ecosystem
Restoration and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
, by Pervaze A. Sheikh
and Nicole T. Carter.) CERP will take an estimated 30 years and $7.8 billion ($3.9 billion
in federal funds) to complete. WRDA 2000 authorized initial projects and established
cost-sharing ratios for Everglades restoration. The federal government is expected to pay
half of CERP’s costs, and an array of state, tribal, and local agencies (i.e., nonfederal
sponsors) the other half. This cost share also applies to all project operation and
maintenance costs. No additional Everglades restoration projects have been authorized
since 2000. Two projects were considered for authorization as part of WRDA 2004 and
other legislation in the 108th Congress — Indian River Lagoon-South (IRL-S) wetlands
and estuarine restoration ($1.2 billion), and the Picayune Strand ecosystem restoration
($363 million, also known as Southern Golden Gates Estates ecosystem restoration). No
WRDA was enacted in the 108th Congress; however, consideration of a WRDA is likely
in the 109th Congress. (See CRS Issue Brief IB10133, Water Resources Development Act
(WRDA): Army Corps of Engineers Authorization Issues in the 109th Congress
,
coordinated by Nicole Carter.)
Restoration Appropriations
Although authorizations for CERP construction are expected to occur primarily
through WRDA, which is predominantly a legislative vehicle for Corps authorization,
federal appropriations for the activities coordinated under CERP and non-CERP1
programs are spread out across several federal agencies. The South Florida Ecosystem
Restoration Task Force organizes information on past and current appropriations, and
1 Restoration not conducted under the authority of CERP is referred to as non-CERP activities
or programs. For example, non-CERP activities would include the Everglades National Park
maintenance and critical ecosystem studies done by the National Park Service, among other
things.

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requests for future Everglades appropriations, in an annual cross-cut budget.2 Federal
funding for Everglades restoration is largely concentrated in two appropriations bills —
the Interior and Related Agencies appropriations bill and the Energy and Water
Development appropriations bill. The Interior and Related Agencies appropriations laws
have provided funds for restoration projects to several Department of the Interior (DOI)
agencies, including the National Park Service (NPS), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS),
U.S. Geological Survey, and Bureau of Indian Affairs. Everglades restoration
appropriations in the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill are for the
Corps. Smaller amounts of restoration funding have been spread across other
appropriations bills for use by a diverse set of agencies, including the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and
Related Agencies appropriations), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (VA, HUD, and
Related Agencies appropriations), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S. Department
of Agriculture and Related Agencies appropriations).
DOI Appropriations for FY2005. Interior and Related Agencies appropriations
laws and conference reports typically do not specify the level of appropriations for many
Everglades restoration activities. Rather, the Administration’s budget request identifies
restoration funding totals for the previous year. For FY2005, appropriations for Interior
and Related Agencies were included in the FY2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act
(P.L. 108-447). The DOI was appropriated $65.5 million for CERP and non-CERP
restoration activities for FY2005, over $40 million less than the requested amount of
$105.9 million. This is also $3.6 million less than the enacted level in FY2004.3 For
FY2006, the Administration is requesting $83.5 million for DOI. (See Table 1 for
details.) The primary increase is a request for $25 million to construct the Modified
Water Deliveries project.
FY2005 appropriations law contains a provision that conditions funding for some
restoration activities on a report of phosphorus concentrations in waters entering the
Everglades.4 The provision states that funds appropriated in the FY2005 Consolidated
Appropriations Act and any prior acts for the Modified Water Deliveries restoration
project (Mod Waters) will be provided unless administrators of four federal departments/
agencies (Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Army, Administrator of the EPA, and
the Attorney General) indicate in a joint annual report that water entering the Arthur R.
Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and Everglades National Park does not
meet state water quality standards, and the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations respond in writing disapproving the further expenditure of funds.5
2 See [http://www.sfrestore.org/documents/index.html], accessed Jan. 11, 2005, for a list of
Everglades crosscut budgets from FY1993 to FY2005.
3 For detailed program information under DOI appropriations for the Everglades, see CRS Report
RL32306, Appropriations for FY2005: Interior and Related Agencies, coordinated by Carol
Hardy-Vincent and Susan Boren.
4 This provision was initially enacted in the FY2004 Interior appropriations law (P.L. 108-108).
5 These provisions stem from concerns regarding a Florida state law, enacted on May 20, 2003,
that amended the Everglades Forever Act of 1994 (Florida Statutes §373.4592) that authorizes
a new plan to mitigate phosphorus pollution in the Everglades. High levels of phosphorus are
(continued...)

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Table 1. DOI Everglades Appropriations, FY2004-FY2005
($ in thousands)
Agencies Requesting Funding for
FY2004
FY2005
FY2006
Everglades Restoration
Enacted
Enacted
Request
National Park Service
44,329
45,116
67,702
Fish and Wildlife Service
16,342
12,075
12,531
U.S. Geological Survey
7,847
7,738
7,888
Bureau of Indian Affairs
539
536
388
CERP Fundinga
[8,772]
[8,517]
[8,596]
Total Appropriations
69,057
65,465
83,509
Source: DOI, FY2006, The Interior Budget in Brief (Washington, Feb. 2005) and P.L. 108-447 (under
Interior and Related Agencies appropriations for FY2005).
aThis CERP funding was appropriated to NPS and FWS, so it is only accounted for once in calculating the
total DOI Everglades appropriation.
Corps Funding for FY2005. For the Corps, the enacted FY2005 appropriations
(P.L. 108-447) are $115.3 million for Everglades restoration activities. This is $22.2
million below the FY2004 level of $137.5 million. The requested amount for FY2006 is
$137 million, which includes funds for CERP. (See Table 2.)6
Table 2. Corps Everglades Appropriations, FY2004-FY2005
($ in thousands)
Activities for
FY2004
FY2005
FY2006
Everglades Restoration
Enacted
Enacted
Request
Central and South Florida Project
105,000
69,400
[14,213] a
Everglades and South Florida Ecosystem
14,800
25,792
137,000
Restoration
Kissimmee River Restoration
17,700
17,856
n/a b
Florida Keys Water Quality Improvement
0
2,232
0
CERP funding c [39,063]
[67,000]
[68,000]
Total 137,500
115,280
137,000
Source: P.L. 108-137 (FY2004 Energy and Water Appropriations Act) and P.L. 108-447 (FY2005
Consolidated Appropriations Act). Civil Works Budget for the Army Corps of Engineers FY2006 accessed
on Feb. 8, 2006, at [http://www.usace.army.mil/civilworks/cecwb/budget/budget.pdf ].
aThis funding is proposed for flood control and therefore not included in the restoration total for FY2006.
b This line item is under Everglades and South Florida Ecosystem Restoration for FY2006 request.
c CERP funding is included in the Everglades and South Florida Ecosystem Restoration line item.
Funding History: FY1993-FY2005. Federal and state funding for restoration
activities in the Everglades ecosystem was provided for several years before CERP’s
congressional approval. Funding (CERP and non-CERP activities) for Everglades
restoration activities by the state of Florida has exceeded federal funding every year since
1994. That is, from FY1993 to FY2005, federal appropriations for restoration activities
5 (...continued)
a primary cause of ecosystem alteration in the Everglades. (For more information see CRS Report
RL32131, Phosphorus Mitigation in the Everglades, by Pervaze Sheikh and Barbara Johnson.)
6 For detailed program information, see CRS Report RL32307, Appropriations for FY2005:
Energy and Water Development
, by Carl Behrens.

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in the Everglades ecosystem were about $2.3 billion dollars, while state funding topped
$3.6 billion. (See Figure 1.)
Figure 1. Federal and State Funding for Everglades Restoration,
FY1993-FY2005 (CERP and Non-CERP Activities)
(in $ millions)
900
800
700
600
s
n

500
illio
m

400
$
300
200
100
0
19
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
94
95
96
97
98
99
00
01
02
03
04
05
Federal
State
Fiscal Ye ar
Source: Data from The South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Program, Fiscal Year 2000 and 2005
Crosscut Budget
(Miami, FL: 2000 and 2005). For FY1993 and FY2005, state funding is not available.
From FY1993 to FY2000, average federal funding for restoration activities was
about $159 million annually. After the enactment of WRDA 2000, both federal and state
funding increased, peaking in FY2002 at over $800 million. From FY2001 to FY2005,
average annual federal funding was about $258 million, an increase of approximately
$100 million from earlier funding levels.
As previously noted, CERP funding is a subset of all Everglades funding. Florida
has primarily invested its CERP funds to acquire land and to plan and design restoration
projects. Because the federal government is not responsible for land acquisition under
CERP, much of the federal funding appropriated under CERP has been for planning and
feasibility studies for restoration projects. From FY2001 to FY2004, Florida has provided
approximately $803 million for CERP activities, while the federal government has
provided about $155 million. Although some argue that this disparity in funding violates
the 50-50 cost share, the cost share agreement in WRDA 2000 is interpreted by others to
apply to the overall CERP effort, not annually or for each project. This allows for
disparities among some projects and for a given project during its various phases.
Implementation Issues Related to Funding
Key Everglades funding issues during the 109th Congress likely will include the level
of funding for restoration activities, the authorization of new CERP projects, and the role
of the state and federal government in setting restoration priorities. Funding issues in the

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Everglades are of interest to stakeholders representing large-scale ecosystem restoration
initiatives throughout the country. The expense of other large-scale restoration initiatives,
such as in the Great Lakes (estimated $6.0 billion) and Chesapeake Bay (estimated $15.0
billion), is often compared to the cost of Everglades restoration. These comparisons,
however, often do not distinguish among the differences in federal roles, responsibilities,
and cost shares for each of these efforts.
A funding issue receiving broad attention is the level of commitment by the federal
government in the Everglades. Some observers measure commitment by the frequency
and number of projects authorized under CERP, and the appropriations they receive.
Because no restoration projects have been authorized since WRDA 2000, these observers
are concerned that federal commitment to CERP implementation is waning. Others are
waiting to gauge federal commitment by the provision of construction funding as the first
projects break ground in the next few years. Some state and federal officials argue that
federal funding will increase as CERP projects move beyond design, into construction.7
Another issue is the role of the state in prioritizing restoration projects. The current
dominance of state funds has generated some concern that the state of Florida is defining
which Everglades projects proceed.8 Some contend that state priorities may not be in the
federal interest; others argue that these concerns are unfounded because state funding is
a reflection of the state’s financial responsibility for acquiring land early in the restoration
process. This concern was heightened when the state announced a program, Acceler8,
that aims to accelerate the state’s portion of funding, design, and construction of eight
CERP projects.9 Most of the projects are for constructing reservoirs to collect excess
water and maintain flood control; others are for restoring habitat. By fast-tracking these
projects, the state contends that Everglades restoration benefits will be realized sooner and
flood control and water conservation will function better. These projects require
congressional authorization before they can receive federal construction funding.
Implementation of Everglades restoration continues to evolve as some of the initial
projects move into construction and a second set of projects seek congressional
authorization. Supporters of the Everglades restoration effort and of other large-scale
restoration efforts in other parts of the country are watching to see if the federal financial
commitment keeps pace with congressional authorization, the timeline outlined in CERP,
and the financial investments by the State of Florida.
7 Curtis Morgan, “Money Gap in Everglades Restoration Plan Raises Concerns,” Miami Herald,
Jan. 14, 2005.
8 Editorial, “Two Bushes and the Everglades,” New York Times, Nov. 10, 2004.
9 Ibid.