Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003
Public Law 108–16, as amended
Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003
16
116–186
Statute Compilation
United States House of Representatives
Office of the Legislative Counsel
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Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003
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2003-04-23
Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003
[(Public Law 108–16)]
[As Amended Through P.L. 116–186, Enacted October 30, 2020]
[Currency: This publication is a compilation of the text of Public Law 108–16. It was last amended by the public law listed in the As Amended Through note above and below at the bottom of each page of the pdf version and reflects current law through the date of the enactment of the public law listed at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/comps/]
[Note: While this publication does not represent an official version of any Federal statute, substantial efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of its contents. The official version of Federal law is found in the United States Statutes at Large and in the United States Code. The legal effect to be given to the Statutes at Large and the United States Code is established by statute (1 U.S.C. 112, 204).]

AN ACT
To provide for the eradication and control of nutria in Maryland and Louisiana.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1.
[16 U.S.C. 8101 note]

SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003”.
SEC. 2.
[16 U.S.C. 8101]

FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a)

Findings.—
The Congress finds the following:
(1)
Wetlands, tidal marshes, and agricultural lands provide significant cultural, economic, and ecological benefits to the Nation.
(2)
The South American nutria (Myocastor coypus) is directly contributing to substantial marsh loss on Federal, State, and private land.
(3)
Traditional harvest methods to control or eradicate nutria have failed. Consequently, marsh loss, loss of public and private wetlands, and loss of agricultural lands are 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 any State that has demonstrated the need for a program to implement measures to eradicate or control nutria and restore marshland damaged by nutria.
SEC. 3.
[16 U.S.C. 8102]

NUTRIA ERADICATION PROGRAM.
(a)

Grant Authority.—
The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this Act as the “Secretary”), may provide financial assistance to a State, in an amount that is in proportion to the total impacted area of such State affected by nutria, that has demonstrated to the Secretary sufficient need for a program to implement measures to eradicate or control nutria and restore marshland, public and private wetlands, and agricultural lands damaged by nutria.
(b)

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.
(c)

Cost Sharing.—
(1)

Federal share.—
The Federal share of the costs of a State program referred to in subsection (a) may not exceed 75 percent of the total costs of the program.
(2)

In-kind contributions.—
The non-Federal share of the costs of a State program referred to in subsection (a) may be provided in the form of in-kind contributions of materials or services.
(d)

Limitation on Administrative Expenses.—
Not more than 5 percent of financial assistance provided to a State by the Secretary under this section may be used for administrative expenses.
(e)

Authorization of Appropriations.—
For financial assistance under this section, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $12,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.
SEC. 4.

REPORT.
No later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the National Invasive Species Council shall—
(1)
give consideration to the 2002 report for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries titled “Nutria in Louisiana”, and the 2002 document entitled “Eradication Strategies for Nutria in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay Watersheds”; and
(2)
develop, in cooperation with the State of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources, a long-term nutria control or eradication program, as appropriate, with the objective to significantly reduce and restore the damage nutria cause to coastal wetlands in the States of Louisiana and Maryland.