    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [January 9, 2002]
    [Pages 38-39]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Assurance of Project Benefits
    Agreement
    January 9, 2002

        Whereas, the Everglades ecological system is unique in the world and
    one of the Nation's great treasures;
        Whereas, the Central and Southern Florida Project as originally
    authorized in 1948 has had unintended consequences on the Everglades and
    the South Florida Ecosystem;
        Whereas, the Water Resources Development Act of 1992 authorized a
    Comprehensive Review Study (Restudy) of the Central and Southern Florida
    Project;
        Whereas, as required by the Water Resources Development Act of 1996,
    the Restudy was submitted to the Congress of the United States on July
    1, 1999;
        Whereas, the Restudy, renamed the Comprehensive Everglades
    Restoration Plan, was authorized by the Congress in the Water Resources
    Development Act of 2000;
        Whereas, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (the
    ``Plan'') will restore, preserve, and protect the more than 2.4 million
    acres of the Everglades and the South Florida Ecosystem;
        Whereas, implementation of the Plan will require a collaborative
    effort among Federal and State partners, and the Seminole Tribe of
    Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, acting under
    Federal and State law, to achieve the shared goal of restoration of the
    Everglades and the South Florida Ecosystem;
        Whereas, as the ecosystem is restored, all interests seek a level of
    assurance that they will receive the anticipated benefits from the Plan;
        Whereas, the Federal interest in restoration flows largely from the
    substantial Federal resources in the ecosystem, including Everglades
    National Park and other National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and
    National Marine Sanctuaries, which comprise a significant portion of the
    natural system;
        Whereas, in recognition of this interest, the Congress established
    that the overarching objective of the Plan is the restoration,
    preservation, and protection of the South Florida Ecosystem, while
    providing for other water-related needs of the region, including water
    supply and flood protection;
        Whereas, section 601(h)(2) of the Water Resources Development Act of
    2000 (the ``Act''), requires that the President of the United States and
    the Governor of Florida enter into a binding agreement that ensures that
    water from the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan will be made
    available for the restoration of the natural system;
        Whereas, section 601(h)(3) of the Act further requires that the
    Secretary of the Army, with the concurrence of the Governor and the
    Secretary of the Interior, and in consultation with the Seminole Tribe
    of Florida, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the
    Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of
    Commerce, and other Federal, State, and local agencies, promulgate
    programmatic regulations to ensure that the goals and the purposes of
    the Plan are achieved;
        Whereas, section 601(h)(4)(A)(iii) of the Act requires that a
    Project Implementation Report (PIR) identify the amount of water to be
    reserved or allocated for the natural system under State law;
        Whereas, section 601(h)(4)(B)(ii) of the Act requires that the
    Secretary of the Army shall not execute a Project Cooperation Agreement
    until any reservation or allocation of water for the natural system
    identified in the PIR is executed under State law;

    [[Page 39]]

        Whereas, the State of Florida has the authority to reserve water for
    the natural system pursuant to Chapter 373, Florida Statutes;
        The signatories to this agreement hereby affirm that:
        As required by the Water Resources Development Act of 2000, water
    made available by each project in the Comprehensive Everglades
    Restoration Plan will not be permitted for a consumptive use or
    otherwise made unavailable by the State of Florida until such time as
    sufficient reservations of water for the restoration of the natural
    system are made by regulation or other appropriate means pursuant to
    Chapter 373, Florida Statutes, and in accordance with the project
    implementation report for the project and consistent with the
    Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
        To effectuate this agreement, the Federal party agrees:

         To include within the President's budget submissions to the
                Congress requests for Federal appropriations in the amount
                the President deems necessary to implement the Federal share
                of the Plan's implementation;
         To initiate authorized project planning and design;
         To work with the State of Florida on developing information
                jointly to support the adaptive assessment component of the
                Plan;
         To use the planning process to supply information for both
                Federal and State legislative oversight requirements;

        To effectuate this agreement, the State party agrees:

        --To include within the Governor's budget submissions to the
            Legislature requests for State appropriations in the amount the
            Governor deems necessary to implement the State share of the
            Plan's implementation.
        --To undertake reservations of water for the natural system upon
            completion of each PIR, and to ensure that reservations of water
            for the natural system will be consistent with information
            developed in the PIR, indicating appropriate timing,
            distribution, and flow requirements sufficient for the
            restoration of the natural system.
         To manage its water resource allocation process to ensure
                that water made available by each project in the
                Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan will not be
                permitted for a consumptive use or otherwise made
                unavailable for restoration of the natural system,
                consistent with the PIR and the provisions of the Water
                Resources Development Act of 2000.
         To monitor and assess the continuing effectiveness of
                reservations as long as the project is authorized to achieve
                the goals and objectives of the Plan.

    Note: The Office of the Press Secretary released the text of the
    agreement as signed by the President and the Governor of Florida. An
    original was not available for verification of the content of this
    agreement.