[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1540 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 1540

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      December 8, 2010.
Whereas Mexican drug trafficking organizations have established robust and 
        dangerous marijuana plantations on Federal lands managed by the United 
        States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management;
Whereas the Office of National Drug Control Policy reported that 1,800,000 
        marijuana plants were eradicated from Federal lands in 2006, 2,890,000 
        marijuana plants were eradicated in 2007, and 4,000,000 marijuana plants 
        were eradicated in 2008;
Whereas former Director of National Drug Control Policy John P. Walters declared 
        in 2007: ``America's public lands are under attack. Instead of being 
        appreciated as national treasures, they are being exploited and 
        destroyed by foreign drug trafficking organizations and heavily armed 
        Mexican marijuana cartels who have turned them into ground zero for drug 
        cultivation. These violent drug traffickers are endangering America's 
        outdoor enthusiasts and sportsmen, and the sensitive ecosystems of our 
        wilderness.'';
Whereas the illicit drug trade undermines the rule of law and has a detrimental 
        impact in communities across our Nation;
Whereas Mexican drug traffickers use the revenue generated from marijuana 
        production on Federal lands to support criminal activities, including 
        human trafficking and illicit weapons smuggling, and to foster political 
        unrest in Mexico;
Whereas drug traffickers have committed acts of violence against United States 
        citizens and have fired upon law enforcement officers to protect their 
        marijuana crops;
Whereas, on October 8, 2000, an 8-year-old boy and his father were shot by drug 
        traffickers while hunting in El Dorado National Forest;
Whereas, on June 16, 2009, law enforcement officers with the Lassen County 
        Sheriff's Department were wounded by gunfire from drug traffickers 
        during the investigation of a marijuana plantation on Bureau of Land 
        Management property;
Whereas drug traffickers place booby traps that contain live shotgun shells on 
        marijuana plantations;
Whereas the American people should not be subjected to violence while enjoying 
        our Nation's recreation areas;
Whereas marijuana plantations pose a significant threat to the environmental 
        health of Federal lands;
Whereas drug traffickers spray considerable quantities of unregulated chemicals, 
        pesticides, and fertilizers;
Whereas drug traffickers divert streams and other waterways to construct complex 
        irrigation systems;
Whereas it costs the Federal Government $11,000 to restore one acre of forest on 
        which marijuana is being cultivated;
Whereas the Federal Government is fundamentally responsible for protecting our 
        Nation's Federal lands and the citizens who recreate on them;
Whereas local law enforcement agencies are currently bearing the brunt of the 
        burden of eradicating marijuana cultivation and enforcing Federal drug 
        laws on Federal lands;
Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration and law enforcement from the United 
        States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Department 
        of Homeland Security are providing valuable but inadequate resources in 
        combating marijuana production on Federal lands;
Whereas coordination among Federal agencies and among Federal, State, and local 
        law enforcement agencies is essential to curtailing marijuana growth on 
        Federal lands;
Whereas targeted joint law enforcement interdiction raids have brought forth 
        significant but short-lived successes in combating marijuana production 
        on Federal lands;
Whereas Federal law enforcement should develop and pursue a balanced strategy 
        that seeks to eradicate the illicit production of marijuana on Federal 
        lands, and to investigate, detain, and bring drug traffickers to 
        justice; and
Whereas the creation of a long-term, Federal-led strategy is essential to 
        eliminating illicit marijuana cultivation on Federal lands: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) declares that drug trafficking organizations cultivating illicit 
        marijuana on Federal lands in the United States pose an unacceptable 
        threat to the safety of law enforcement and the public;
            (2) affirms that it is the responsibility of the Federal Government 
        to confront the threat of illicit marijuana cultivation on Federal 
        lands; and
            (3) calls upon the Director of the Office of National Drug Control 
        Policy to work in conjunction with Federal and State agencies to develop 
        a comprehensive and coordinated strategy to permanently dismantle 
        Mexican drug trafficking organizations operating on Federal lands.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.