Who will save the Everglades?

Treehugger: The restoration of the Florida Everglades, the largest and most-expensive environmental rescue project in the world, is running low on financing and years behind schedule, reports The New York Times. Meanwhile, thousands of acres of wetlands and wildlife habitat continue to be paved by developers or blasted by rock miners to stoke the fires of the construction industry.

Seven years into what was supposed to be a four-decade $8 billion effort to reverse generations of destruction, Congress and President Bush continue to play tug-of-war over the federal purse strings.

Bush vetoed a bill authorizing $23 billion in water-infrastructure projects. Congress voted to override the veto, the first time for this president—and the 107th time it has been done in the history of the United States.

Even then, Lake Okeechobee, the heart of the Everglades and a backup drinking water source for five million people, sits at an all-time low. And, in a disaster just waiting to happen, the lake's crumbling dike isn't expected to be repaired until 2030. ::The New York Times, ::ENS Newswire, ::MSNBC, and ::Sun Sentinel

See also: ::TreeHugger TV: Episode 6: Conserving The Florida E