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Florida beaches and federal taxpayers were granted a brief reprieve from unwise development subsidies that would destroy critical habitats for sea turtles and other wildlife when the District Court for the District of Columbia decided against Congress and the Department of Interior’s bid to open up critical beachfront property to taxpayer-funded development. The Court sided with the Sea Turtle Survival League, Coast Alliance and Center for Marine Conservation by invalidating an attempt to remove certain Florida beaches from the protective Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS), a fiscally conservative and environmentally sound program. The CBRS prohibits taxpayer-backed subsidies, such as federal flood insurance, for private development in ecologically critical areas such as barrier islands.
The lawsuit was based on technical violations that were made while rushing the bill through as a rider to another bill in the last days of Congress. Because the Court decided in favor of the lawsuit, the legislation dealing with the CBRS was officially nullified and the properties in question were to remain part of the System.
Unfortunately, attempts are being made by Rep. Tillie Fowler (R-FL) and Sen. Connie Mack (R-FL) to attach the language that would remove parcels of land from the protective CBRS to other appropriations bills moving through Congress.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
To prevent this language from passing again as a rider, please call the following Appropriations Committee members. Urge them to keep the appropriations bill clean and to oppose any new amendments that would remove land from the CBRS.
Representative Regula (R-OH)
(202) 225-3876
Representative Livingston (R-LA)
staff aide Paul Cambon
(202) 255-3015 phone
(202) 225-0739 fax
Representative Obey (D-WI)
staff aide Paul Carver
(202) 225-3365
Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK)
staff aide Dave Russell
(202) 224-3004
Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA)
staff aide Susan Wunderly
(202) 224-3441
Dan Miller ( D-FL)
(202) 225-5015
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