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"At the same time, the President and Governor announced an agreement for the National Park Service to purchase privately-held oil and gas drilling rights within three critical portions of the greater Everglades ecosystem: the Big Cypress National Preserve (729,000 acres immediately adjacent to Everglades National Park), the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge (26,400 acres) and the Ten Thousand Island National Wildlife Refuge (35,000 acres). As a strong sign of the joint state/federal commitment to the 30-year Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, the National Park Service will purchase these rights from the Collier family, who retained these interests years ago. This announcement essentially shuts down any potential for new oil rigs in the Everglades and represents the next step forward in the historic Everglades project, the largest ecosystem restoration project in history."

"The President's actions include a negotiated agreement between the federal government and several petroleum companies to extinguish existing rights to drill just 25 miles off of Florida's northwest coast near Pensacola, in an area known as Destin Dome. This area has long been recognized as the most likely to see oil and gas development off of Florida's coast and has been the subject of ongoing federal litigation."

Accompanying note: "At the White House, President George W. Bush made an unprecedented commitment to Florida Governor Jeb Bush, protecting both Florida's beaches and the Everglades from oil and gas drilling."

"Previous environmental protection commitments focused on stopping the expansion of new oil and gas exploration and development in Florida. [This] action will actually buy back existing privately-owned and previously-leased rights to oil and gas interests."