Bill would end dredging on Panhandle river

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - Florida congressional leaders introduced legislation Tuesday to end dredging on the Apalachicola River, saying spending $20 million to clear the way for barges that don&#39;t use it anymore doesn&#39;t make sense. <br> <br> The Army Corps of Engineers has for years scooped out a channel in the river to make it navigable for barges. But environmentalists say the dredged sand piled on the banks hurts the region&#39;s ecosystem. The river was recently called one of the nation&#39;s most endangered by the conservation group American Rivers. <br> <br> The last barge company running on the Apalachicola stopped operations earlier this year, said Sen. Bob Graham, who has pushed for several years to end the dredging. <br> <br> ``Dredging of the Apalachicola River has done damage to both the economy and the environment of northwest Florida,&#39;&#39; said Graham, a Miami Lakes Democrat. ``With commercial barge traffic nonexistent on the river, the corps is letting millions of dollars float away.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Graham&#39;s bill removes the corps&#39; authorization to dredge on the river, which cuts through the Panhandle from the Alabama and Georgia lines down to the Gulf of Mexico, where it flows into Apalachicola Bay. <br> <br> Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., has introduced a similar measure in the House. The bills would also provide federal money to help clean up the area. <br> <br> Gov. Jeb Bush and the state&#39;s independently elected Cabinet have also expressed support for ending the dredging. <br> <br> Bush renewed his support for the bill Tuesday. <br> <br> ``With all the environmental damage, and the cost, it simply doesn&#39;t make sense,&#39;&#39; Bush said.