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1 [1] (May 15, 2014)

handle is hein.crs/crsuntaajta0001 and id is 1 raw text is: $ Congressional Research Service ~ ni rma g th cg~ kiti e b tc sinc 914 May 15, 2014 Everglades Restoration: CERP and the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) What are the Everglades? The Everglades are a unique network of subtropical wetlands in South Florida. Due in part to federal water supply and flood control projects (as well as agricultural and urban runoff), the network has been degraded and is approximately half its historical size. The ecosystem is home to a number of unique species, including 67 species on the federal endangered or threatened species lists. What is CERP? The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, or CERP, was approved by Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 2000. It is a framework under which the federal government, with the State of Florida, is attempting to restore the Everglades and expand water supplies by improving the timing, distribution and quality of the water flowing south from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades, among other things. Under CERP, the federal government (through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior) is required to fund half the costs for restoration, with an array of state, tribal, and local agencies paying the other half. Originally CERP was expected to include 60 projects that would be completed over a 30-year horizon at a cost of $10 billion. More recent estimates have projected that the project will take approximately 50 years to implement, at a total cost of $13.5 billion. To date, federal and state expenditures on CERP have been approximately $1 billion. Everglades restoration under CERP was approved in 2000 and is expected to take 50 years to complete. Outside of CERP, complementary efforts to restore the Everglades (most of which pre-date CERP) are also ongoing. These efforts, collectively referred to as non- CERP projects, have totaled more than $3 billion. Everglades Restoration Projects Must Be Authorized by Congress While WRDA 2000 approved the overall CERP plan and process, and authorized several pilot projects, most CERP construction projects require additional study by the Corps and congressional authorization of construction before they can receive federal appropriations, including credit and/or reimbursement for nonfederal work undertaken in advance. WRDA 2007 (P.L. 110-114) authorized three CERP construction projects, all of which are currently underway. Other CERP studies are complete and are awaiting congressional construction authorization. UPs ott N ER[ jetTt No ree Coig css otafly Ator zed The Central Everglades Planning Project, or CEPP (shown below in Figure 1), is an Everglades restoration study under the CERP framework that was initiated in 2011 by the Corps and the Department of the Interior, with the State of Florida. It is expected to recommend a suite of restoration projects in the central Everglades that would be a part of the broader CERP program aiming to address problems associated with the timing and distribution of freshwater flows in the central Everglades. It was initiated due to a perceived need to prioritize restoration projects in this portion of the ecosystem, in order to enhance the prospects for Everglades restoration overall. Figure I. CEPP Study Area Source: Corps of Engineers. Notes: Shaded portions indicate CEPP study area. www.crs.gov 1 7-5700 47

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