MIAMI, April 30 (UPI) -- The Florida House approved a Senate-passed bill Wednesday lightening the restrictions on polluting the Everglades, but there is still opposition.
Many of Florida's congressmen, Republicans and Democrats alike, are pleading with Gov. Jeb Bush not to sign it. Bush says the bill's opponents don't understand it, and he expects to sign the bill into law.
The congressmen say it could jeopardize the federal government's commitment for half the $8 billion Everglades restoration project.
Under the federal court settlement and a state law, officials are required to sharply curtail the phosphorous pollution flowing into the Everglades by 2006.
The sugar industry and state officials say it will be impossible to reach the final goal by the deadline.
The House bill pushed by the sugar growers, who are responsible for the flow of phosphorous, would delay the deadline by seven years.
Six Florida congressmen have written a letter opposing the bill.
"The Senate bill will have negative impacts on (Department of) Interior resources and limit the state's ability to achieve water quality that is protective of the Everglades environment," the statement said.
"The earlier agreed-upon deadline for achieving compliance is December 2006, which is the foundation for implementing the $8 billion equally coast shared and congressionally authorized Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan or 'CERP,'" it said.
U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler, who oversees the project and helped broker the agreement between the state and federal government in 1994, has called an emergency hearing on the matter for Friday.
Friday is also the final day of the Legislative session.
