Plan to Save Everglades Sinking

An $8 billion effort to reverse generations of destruction of Florida's Everglades is faltering because federal financing has slowed to a trickle. Despite a much-heralded bipartisan agreement in 2000, the 40-year project to save the subtropical marsh is already far behind schedule, and thousands of acres of wildlife habitat continue to be lost to developers and rock miners for the construction industry, reports the Times.

President Bush is expected to veto, as soon as today, a federal bill funding water infrastructure projects, including nearly $2 billion to revive the richly diverse ecosystem. The fate of the area could all come down to who's elected in 2008, but so far, it's barely merited a mention. GOP contender Fred Thompson has suggested he'd consider allowing drilling in what many conservationists consider a national treasure.