A months-long, secretly negotiated $1.7-billion buyout deal, expected to be final by November 30, would free up nearly 300 square miles of land in the Everglades to be environmentally protected, reports The Miami Herald.

The deal is being celebrated on both sides of the buyout, including Robert Buker, president of U.S. Sugar, who said he was “saddened” at the thought of the company’s close but also hopeful that the move could serve as a solution to some of the state’s longest and most heated environmental conflicts, including concerns over industrial pollution and clean water.

“This has been the holy grail,” said Mark Kraus, senior vice president of the Everglades Foundation. “I really wouldn’t have believed I’d see this in my lifetime.”