[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4044 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4044

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assitance to the 
 State of Maryland for implementation of a program to eradicate nutria 
                and restore marshland damaged by nutria.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 2002

Mr. Gilchrest introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assitance to the 
 State of Maryland for implementation of a program to eradicate nutria 
                and restore marshland damaged by nutria.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Wetlands and tidal marshes of the Chesapeake Bay 
        provide significant cultural, economic, and ecological benefits 
        to the Nation.
            (2) The South American nutria (Myocastor coypus) is 
        directly contributing to substantial marsh loss in Maryland on 
        Federal, State, and private land.
            (3) Traditional harvest methods to control or eradicate 
        nutria have failed. Consequently, marsh loss is accelerating.
            (4) The nutria eradication and control pilot program 
        authorized by Public Law 105-322 is to develop new and 
        effective methods for eradication of nutria.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to authorize the Secretary 
of the Interior to provide financial assistance to the State of 
Maryland for a program to implement measures to eradicate nutria and 
restore marshland damaged by nutria.

SEC. 2. NUTRIA ERADICATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Grant Authority.--The Secretary of the Interior (in this 
section referred to as the ``Secretary''), subject to the availability 
of appropriations, may provide financial assistance to the State of 
Maryland for a program to implement measures to eradicate nutria and 
restore marshland damaged by nutria.
    (b) Goals.--The goals of the program shall be to--
            (1) eradicate nutria in Maryland;
            (2) eradicate or control nutria in other States; and
            (3) restore marshland damaged by nutria.
    (c) Activities.--The Secretary shall require that the program 
consist of management, research, and public education activities 
carried out in accordance with the document published by the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service entitled ``Eradication Strategies for 
Nutria in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay Watersheds'', dated March 
2002.
    (d) Cost Sharing.--
            (1) Federal share.--The Federal share of the costs of the 
        program may not exceed 75 percent of the total costs of the 
        program.
            (2) In-kind contributions.--The non-Federal share of the 
        costs of the program may be provided in the form of in-kind 
        contributions of materials or services.
    (e) Limitation on Administrative Expenses.--Not more than 10 
percent of financial assistance provided by the Secretary under this 
section may be used for administrative expenses.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--For financial assistance 
under this section, there is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 
and 2007.
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