Invasive Species Strike Team Program

(a)

Purpose

The purpose of this Act is to legislatively authorize programs within the Department of the Interior to control and eradicate invasive species impacting Federal lands through prevention, early detection, and rapid response.(b)

Invasive Species Strike Team Program

(1)

In general

The Secretary shall establish a program to identify and respond to priority invasive species threats within the National Wildlife Refuge System in collaboration with Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private individuals and entities with expertise in invasive species management, to be known as the Invasive Species Strike Team Program.(2)

Requirements

In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall—(A)establish species response teams trained in rapid response and invasive species management for multiple taxa, including Incident Command System trainings and table-top exercises, to assist with priority invasive species response;(B)establish at least 1 species response team within each region of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;(C)develop a set of consistent taxonomy standards and implement such standards among all Department of Interior databases; and(D)develop and utilize unified reporting platforms, including—(i)the National Agricultural Pest Information System;(ii)the National Data Repository of the National Plant Diagnostic Network;(iii)the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS);(iv)the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database of the United States Geological Survey;(v)iMapInvasives; and(vi)State databases.(3)

Provision of assistance

In carrying out the Program, the Secretary is authorized to—(A)conduct outreach to Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, nongovernmental institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private individuals and entities to address the management of property in the vicinity of, or ecologically related to, a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System, including providing or entering into, upon request—(i)financial assistance, including direct expenditures and grants;(ii)technical assistance;(iii)contracts; and(iv)cooperative agreements; and(B)upon the request of another Federal department or agency, enter into an agreement with such department or agency to provide to such department or agency the expertise and use of species response teams established under paragraph (2) to respond to invasive species under the jurisdiction of such department or agency.(4)

Coordination of management actions

The Secretary shall encourage each unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System to coordinate the management actions of each such unit with each State within which each such unit is located.(5)

Annual report

(A)

In general

Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Appropriations and Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and make available to the public on the website of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, a report regarding the Program.(B)

Contents of report

Each report submitted under subparagraph (A) shall include—(i)an assessment of each priority invasive species within the National Wildlife Refuge System; and(ii)progress made by the Program toward the eradication of each priority invasive species.(c)

Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.(d)

Definitions

In this section:(1)

Invasive species

The term invasive species means a non-native species to the ecosystem whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic harm, environmental harm or harm to human health.(2)

Priority invasive species

The term priority invasive species means an invasive species that is a major concern and necessary to map, monitor and manage based on the following factors: potential impact on other native species, ability to alter habitats, ability to harm human health and severity of economic impact.(3)

Program

The term Program means the Invasive Species Strike Team Program established under subsection (b)(1).(4)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.(5)

State

The term State means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States.