Miccosukee Tribe on 'bridge to nowhere'

Monday, March 9, 2009 

"SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Tonight, Ainsley Earhardt takes a closer look at one of the provisions in the omnibus spending bill. It is a proposed bridge in the Florida Everglades that some are calling the new bridge to nowhere, while others say that without it the Everglades could fail.

AINSLEY EARHARDT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: This beautiful landscape in the Florida Everglades heights a contentious battle, one that stretches from here to the halls of Congress, 1,000 miles to the north.

It's a battle over water, water that needs to flow into parts of this fragile ecosystem. But it also serves as an example of the much wider argument: what constitutes a pork spending project?

Buried in the 1,123-page omnibus spending bill is a little-noticed provision, allotting $212 million to build mile-long bridge along this area of the Tamiami Trail.

If the bridge is built, water could be allowed to flow to a part of the Everglades that's been drying up. But the provision would also overturn a federal judge's decision to stop construction and do further environmental testing.

The bridge is just part of a large group of projects meant to help the fragile Everglades, which is damaged after years of development. Supporters say it is the key component, approved by Congress in 1989 to restore water flow to primary head waters of Everglades National Park.

But the Parks Department says for water to flow, current levies need to be unblocked and a major part of the Tamiami Trail, a vital roadway connecting Florida's east and west coast, will completely flood."

Get the Story:
Omnibus Money for Unnecessary Bridge? (FOX News 3/9)