September
27, 2013
Congressman
Trey Radel, R-Southwest Florida, has invited leaders from Sanibel to a
congressional fly-in and briefing on Oct. 3 in Washington, D.C., to provide
testimony regarding the economic and environmental impacts of the Lake
Okeechobee freshwater releases.
The Sanibel delegation participating in the
briefing includes Mayor Kevin Ruane, Vice Mayor Doug Congress and Natural
Resources Director James Evans. The discussion will take place from 9 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building and is being hosted by Radel
and Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-Port St. Lucie, who represents the east coast
areas impacted by the releases.
The meeting includes three panels to address
federal, state and local issues, priorities and initiatives to address short
and long-term relief efforts.
Mayor
Ruane will testify regarding impacts to the local business community and
tourism industry; the importance of passing the Water Resources Reform and
Development Act (WRRDA) to provide federal funding for the C-43 West Basin
Reservoir Project and other long-term solutions; and the need for the U.S. Army
Corps and South Florida Water Management District to consider all short- and
long-term storage options, including revisiting the LORS 2008 regulation
schedule.
"We
commend Congressmen Radel and Murphy for providing this forum," said
Ruane. "Our focus of this trip is to convince our federal government to
appropriate the necessary funding to implement the long-planned but too often
delayed implementation of the capital projects that will truly solve the issues
related to Lake Okeechobee freshwater releases."
The
fly-in and briefing will be broadcast live on YouTube.
For
more information, contact Sanibel City Hall at 472-3700.
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