Vice President Biden visits Everglades
FLORIDA -- Vice President Joe Biden discussed the Administration’s efforts to restore the Everglades at the S-356 pump station, a component of the Modified Water Deliveries to Everglades National Park project in Miami-Dade County, Fla., April, 23, 2012. "Last year, the Corps of Engineers’ construction project generated 6,600 good paying jobs for Floridians and their families – and thousands of indirect jobs," Biden said. And that restoration projects currently underway would garner "$46.5 billion net additional revenue to the state of Florida – just as a consequence of this restoration.” "The truth of the matter is, people around the country, you know, they know the Everglades," Biden said. "But they just, they have no comprehension, no comprehension of what a federal and national treasure it is. It supports some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet – including 68 threatened and endangered species, 350 species of birds and it's the only place on earth where the Florida panther lives." (From left: Maj. Gen. Todd Semonite, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division commander; Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; and Vice President Joe Biden)