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






                                                 Union Calendar No. 263
107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4044

                          [Report No. 107-442]

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance 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

                              May 7, 2002

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 
          on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
 [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 
                               20, 2002]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance 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 and in 
        Louisiana 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 and 
        Louisiana 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 and the State of Louisiana for a program to implement measures 
to eradicate or control 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 and the State of Louisiana for a program to implement measures 
to eradicate or control 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 Louisiana and other 
        States; and
            (3) restore marshland damaged by nutria.
    (c) Activities.--In the State of Maryland, 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 5 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 the State of Maryland program and $2,000,000 
for the State of Louisiana program for each of fiscal years 2003, 2004, 
2005, 2006, and 2007.

SEC. 3. REPORT.

    No later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary and the National Invasive Species Council shall give 
consideration to the 2002 report for the Louisiana Department of 
Wildlife and Fisheries titled ``Nutria in Louisiana'', and shall 
develop, in cooperation with the State of Louisiana Department of 
Wildlife and Fisheries, a long-term nutria control program with the 
objective to significantly reduce and restore the damage nutria cause 
to coastal wetlands in the State of Louisiana.
            Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to authorize the 
        Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance to the State of 
        Maryland and the State of Louisiana for implementation of a 
        program to eradicate or control nutria and restore marshland 
        damaged by nutria.''.




                                                 Union Calendar No. 263

107th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 4044

                          [Report No. 107-442]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                              May 7, 2002

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 
          on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed