This upcoming Sunday, the people of Venezuela will hold an election that, if legitimate, would put an end to years of the oppressive Maduro narco-regime. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued a statement in support of the Venezuelan people: “The...
News
Latest News
Rubio: “La Tenacidad y Valentía del Pueblo venezolano Estarán a la Vista”
Este próximo domingo, el pueblo venezolano tendrá una elección que, de ser legítima, pondría fin a años de opresión por parte del narco-régimen de Maduro. El senador estadounidense Marco Rubio (R-FL) grabó un mensaje de video en español y emitió una declaración en...
Rubio, Scott, Colleagues to Biden Admin: No Privileges Should Be Given to 9/11 Terrorist
Twenty-three years ago, the United States was attacked by Islamic terrorists on September 11, 2001. Now, Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person convicted in a U.S. court for his role in the attack, has requested the U.S. Department of Justice to allow a prisoner transfer...
Next Week: Rubio Staff Hosts Mobile Office Hours
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host virtual Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of Senator Rubio’s...
Rubio, Colleagues Introduce Ensuring Continuity in Veterans’ Health Act
As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opens up new facilities, many veterans are losing access to the VA’s Community Care Program and, consequently, their long-term healthcare providers. Veterans throughout the country have reported a loss of care, including...
Rubio Introduces Bill to Strengthen U.S.-India Security Partnership
The U.S.-India partnership is vital to countering influences from Communist China. In order to strengthen this partnership, it is essential to enhance our strategic diplomatic, economic, and military relationship with New Delhi. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)...
Rubio: Florida Oyster Crisis At A Breaking Point
Rubio: “The Apalachicola Bay region that produces 90 percent of Florida’s oysters and 10 percent of the oysters supplied to the entire country has reached a breaking point, and the issue deserves the full attention of Florida’s elected leaders. We need a positive resolution to this crisis that ensures the basin receives the water it needs. After decades of disagreement, it is time for this issue to be resolved once and for all.”
Florida Oyster Crisis At A Breaking Point
By Senator Marco Rubio
Tampa Bay Times
August 23, 2013
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/column-florida-oyster-crisis-at-a-breaking-point/2137788
Earlier this year, a lot of people had a good laugh when I reached for a drink of water in the middle of a nationally televised speech. But a much more serious water-related issue has only just begun to receive the national attention it deserves.
For years, the water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint water basin has been and continues to be mismanaged by the state of Georgia and the Army Corps of Engineers. Freshwater supplies that have flowed for hundreds of years down the basin and emptied into the Apalachicola Bay have since been diverted. This water is now stored in so many different reservoirs that a once-vibrant oyster fishery, dependent on these flows to keep out saltwater predators, is now on the verge of collapse, and the livelihood of many fishermen is at stake. The situation has become so dire that the U.S. Commerce Department recently declared a disaster for the oyster fishery.
The fight over water is nothing new in our country. But most of our water supplies are now managed according to state compacts, or agreements between state governors on how water is allocated in any specific region. A tri-state compact is exactly what we need in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint basin — an agreement among Georgia, Alabama and Florida that recognizes the unique needs of each state and allocates our limited water resources accordingly.
Unfortunately, such an agreement remains elusive. The result is a status quo where Georgia takes an unfair share of the water to the detriment of hard-working Floridians in and around the Apalachicola Bay area. Last week, we brought Congress to our state, holding a committee field hearing to highlight how the poor management of water has impacted our citizens. It was heartbreaking to listen to Floridians who have worked these shores for generations and are now finding their source of income suddenly and inexplicably pulled out from under them.
During the hearing they expressed an understandable frustration at the fact that their livelihoods have been shattered by a purely man-made disaster. Their message was loud and clear: Apalachicola Bay simply cannot wait any longer for a solution.
…
Keep reading here.