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Everglades progress

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 30, 2009

We may not like how the Obama Administration is constantly tossing out another Big Government idea, but it does deserve credit for defending Florida's Everglades.

So does Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, who raised the alarm when the Bush Administration removed the Everglades National Park from an international list of endangered wildernesses in 2007.

The move appeared to be motivated by politics.

With the federal government lagging in its promise to share the costs of Everglades restoration with Florida, removing the Everglades from the United Nations' list of threatened wilderness areas made it appear progress was being made and undermined the argument for more funding.

Nelson pushed for a reversal and new Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reviewed the decision. He wrote to Nelson, "I agree that the park was removed from the list without adequate consultation and without appropriate measures in place to evaluate our efforts to restore the ecosystem."

He plans, The St. Petersburg Times reports, to push to have the Glades relisted.

There is no question the unique River of Grass - threatened by pollution, water diversions, development, and agricultural operations - is imperiled.

It is encouraging to see Washington acknowledge that and agree to let science, not politics, determine its progress.

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