State: Senate okays Everglades bill; tough House vote next

WASHINGTON -- Hoping to protect the Everglades for future generations, the Senate briefly debated and then near-unanimously passed restoration legislation to bring the ambitious $8-billion project a step closer to implementation.

The 85-1 vote for the almost $4-billion omnibus Water Resources Development Act, which includes $1.4-billion for the initial restoration phase, energized supporters who expressed optimism that President Clinton could get an opportunity to sign a bill before leaving office.

But overcoming the remaining obstacles on the House side will be a considerable challenge, made even trickier because of the dwindling window of opportunity.

Since U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, introduced an Everglades bill in the House nearly identical to the one passed Monday, efforts to move it have stalled over labor issues unrelated to the Everglades.

With less than two weeks before this congressional session ends, it appears unlikely that the bill will reach the House floor for a vote without some political brokering.

Shaw said he wasn't sure how the bill will be pushed through, but that the House has a "wonderful blueprint" to follow.

Lawmakers on all sides acknowledge that if Everglades restoration is to become a reality, the legislation must be completed this year.

That didn't stop federal lawmakers and state officials from beaming and brandishing Everglades 2000 buttons at a news conference after the vote.

"This is truly a momentous occasion," said Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla. "I don't think we can fully appreciate it until some historical perspective is available to us."

Gov. Jeb Bush and Vice President Al Gore issued statements praising the Senate for passing the bill.

Despite reaching a compromise on which most Florida interests have agreed, there still are potential pitfalls in the coming months, even with groundbreaking on the project.

The Sierra Club, which generally supports Everglades restoration, is concerned about the proposal to convert Homestead Air Force Base into a commercial airport. The current plan acknowledges the possibility of environmental degradation that airport development could cause.

Gore, campaigning in St. Petersburg Monday, has said an airport could be a possibility provided that plans are environmentally sound. A spokesman for his opponent, George W. Bush, said the Texas governor is neutral on the issue.

Last week, the General Accounting Office issued a report that estimated the plan's price tag could hit $14-billion, a point that Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the lone dissenting vote, emphasized in Monday's debate.

"Yes, it is popular and there is support out there, but it is open-ended and it could end up costing us a lot of money," he said.

Monday's debate of just over an hour was much briefer and more cordial than one Thursday when the Senate rejected an amendment that would have required the state of Florida to pay for all of the operation and maintenance costs associated with the Everglades restoration projects, which total about $172-million annually.

Florida and the federal government now share all costs -- construction, operation and maintenance -- equally.

While acknowledging the "uncertainty" and imperfections of this restoration project, Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, urged his colleagues to take a chance on a "truly historic" decision.

"If we do nothing, we lose the Everglades," Smith said. "We need to take this risk to save this precious ecosystem. And we feel we've cut the risk because of the nature of this plan."

Earlier this month, major players in the Everglades restoration effort reached a compromise that brought them together in full support of the Senate bill.

The coalition of leading environmental groups, Florida's agriculture industry, the governor's office, South Florida water utilities and the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes expressed satisfaction with the initial $1.4-billion, 35-project initial phase approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works committee in late June.

The precedent-setting restoration plan, the largest in the nation's history, involved almost 70 engineering projects over 36 years designed to pump fresh, clean water back into the Everglades and let water flow naturally through the damaged wetlands.

It includes building underground aquifers, creating new wetlands and eliminating almost 250 miles of canals.

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Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk