U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other senior Obama Administration officials will be in Florida on Friday to trumpet the improvements they say have been made to the Everglades ecosystem since the president has taken office. They’ll also announce additional federal spending on the massive cleanup project aimed at restoring the natural flow of the Everglades.
Under Obama, the federal government has put $1.5 billion into Everglades initiatives, including nearly $1 billion for construction that the administration claims has created 6,600 jobs.
Obama has also requested an additional $246 million in the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget for the effort.
Vilsach plans a news conference Friday at the Disney Wildnerness Preserve in Kissimmee with officials from the Interior Department, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Council on Environmental Quality.
