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Rubio Reacts To U.S. Fish And Wildlife Instruction To Send More Water Into Lake Okeechobee

Jul 8, 2016 | Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement after being informed that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has instructed the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to start releasing held water in the Kissimmee River basin, or face violations, in order to protect 10 snail kite nests:

“This recommendation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is beyond comprehension, and an example of the federal bureaucracy run amok. These regulatory decisions are having a real impact on Floridians, our ecology, our economy, and our very way of life up and down the Treasure Coast. I am asking the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the Secretary of the Interior, to immediately reverse this harmful instruction that will prolong the ecological crisis along the Treasure Coast.”

If the SFWMD releases held water into Lake Okeechobee, the Army Corps will be forced to increase discharges into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. Last week, Senator Rubio urged the Army Corps to cease discharges into the estuaries that were harming the delicate ecosystems and creating the harmful algal bloom.