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| Landmark Florida Everglades deal | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| US conservationists are hailing a landmark agreement under which the state of Florida will buy a huge tract of land from a major sugar company. | US conservationists are hailing a landmark agreement under which the state of Florida will buy a huge tract of land from a major sugar company. |
| The US Sugar Corp has tentatively agreed to close down and sell the 800sq km of land it owns in the Everglades to Florida for $1.75bn (£890m). | The US Sugar Corp has tentatively agreed to close down and sell the 800sq km of land it owns in the Everglades to Florida for $1.75bn (£890m). |
| Florida's governor said the agreement was as important as the creation of America's first national park. | Florida's governor said the agreement was as important as the creation of America's first national park. |
| The swampy Everglades is one of America's most unusual ecosystems. | |
| 'Missing link' | 'Missing link' |
| A river of grass running from Lake Okeechobee in central Florida to the southern tip of the state, conservationists have struggled for years to preserve its waters. | A river of grass running from Lake Okeechobee in central Florida to the southern tip of the state, conservationists have struggled for years to preserve its waters. |
| Sugar cane production has been one of the industries blamed for its pollution. | Sugar cane production has been one of the industries blamed for its pollution. |
| The US Sugar Corporation is America's largest producer of sugar cane. | The US Sugar Corporation is America's largest producer of sugar cane. |
| The deal with Florida would result in the company's closure but return a huge portion of the Everglades to the state. | The deal with Florida would result in the company's closure but return a huge portion of the Everglades to the state. |
| If the deal goes through, it will enable officials to build a network of reservoirs and marshes, a move one conservationist has called the "missing link" in the preservation of the Everglades. | If the deal goes through, it will enable officials to build a network of reservoirs and marshes, a move one conservationist has called the "missing link" in the preservation of the Everglades. |
| Florida's Governor Charlie Crist called the deal "monumental" and likened it to the creation of America's first national park, Yellowstone. | Florida's Governor Charlie Crist called the deal "monumental" and likened it to the creation of America's first national park, Yellowstone. |
| But for the sugar cane industry it is a blow. Cheap imports have led to the closure of dozens of mills and if the deal goes through, almost 2,000 workers will lose their jobs. | But for the sugar cane industry it is a blow. Cheap imports have led to the closure of dozens of mills and if the deal goes through, almost 2,000 workers will lose their jobs. |
| For the last eight years the state of Florida has poured billions of dollars into cleaning up the Everglades, but the progress has been slow. | For the last eight years the state of Florida has poured billions of dollars into cleaning up the Everglades, but the progress has been slow. |
| It is hoped officials will sign an agreement by September, a move that conservationists say spells a new chapter in the history of the Everglades. | It is hoped officials will sign an agreement by September, a move that conservationists say spells a new chapter in the history of the Everglades. |