[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2391-E2392]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTION OF THE SPECIES PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF THE 
                        ENVIRONMENT (SPACE) ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 20, 2001

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, the United States is an economic powerhouse. 
We work to keep the economy strong and to maintain a high standard of 
living for the people who reside here. Yet we have a drain on the 
economy estimated to be $137 billion annually, a drain that goes 
unchecked and relatively unpublicized because it is not a ``glamorous 
topic.'' This drain is spreading, continually invading our natural 
spaces and crowding out our native flora and fauna.
  In this regard, I am referring to harmful non-native species, 
invasive species; an issue which is not yet fully in the public's eye. 
Even if a person has little concern with native fish and wildlife and 
the habitats they live in, even if that person resides in a city where 
the major wildlife is found only in alleys, the fact remains that 
invasive species are a drain on our economy. Included in the $137 
billion figure I referred to earlier are the negative impacts on 
agricultural production, control costs, and costs in lost land and 
water resources and uses. This number is too large to ignore, 
particularly when trends suggest that the number will only go up over 
time.
  For example, my home State of West Virginia is a relatively small in 
terms of land mass, but here are only a few of the impacts felt from 
harmful nonnative species:
  The balsam fir tree, on the state list of rare plants, is being 
infected by a small insect, the balsam wooly adelgid, which sucks the 
sap, killing the tree. This tree is a unique species for the State, and 
unless drastic measures are taken, it will be completely wiped out by 
this insect.
  Shale barrens, one of the most unique natural plant habitats in West 
Virginia, have been invaded by many non-native species over the years, 
but two of the most problematic are spotted knapweed and barren 
bromegrass. These plants out-compete native species and slowly 
eradicate them from these unique ecosystems.
  In a continuation of the plight of the Great Lakes, the zebra mussel 
has found its way to West Virginia. So far, the zebra mussel is 
responsible for the federal listing of five species of mussel in the 
Ohio River, not to mention economic damage from its clogging of water 
pipes.
  These are only three of the over 150 harmful non-natives that 
currently affect West Virginia. In my view, we have an obligation to 
our native species to protect, conserve and restore them from the 
introduction of harmful invasive species.
  For these reasons, today I along with the gentleman from Maryland, 
Wayne Gilchrest, and the gentleman from Guam, Robert Underwood, are 
introducing a bill to protect, conserve and restore our native fish, 
wildlife and their habitats by addressing the threat of these space 
invaders, harmful invasive species. Maryland, for example, has a nutria 
problem, too many nutria, and the veined rapa whelk, both of which I 
know Mr. Gilchrest has great concern with. Mr. Underwood has chosen to 
be an original cosponsor because of the enormous impacts the brown tree 
snake has on Guam, its power lines and native bird species.
  The Species Protection and Conservation of the Environment Act, or 
SPACE Act, would provide the missing link in existing efforts to combat 
the pernicious and destructive space invasion of some of our most 
valuable natural areas by:
  1. Providing incentive money to States to write State-wide 
assessments to study exactly where their native species are being 
threatened by harmful nonnative species;
  2. Providing incentives for projects to implement the State 
assessments;
  3. Encouraging the formation of partnerships among the Federal 
government and non-Federal land and water owners and managers;
  4. Addressing harmful nonnative species' migratory pathways;
  5. Implementing specific recommendations of the National Strategy 
written by the National Invasive Species Council;
  6. Creating a Federal-level rapid response capability; and
  7. Tasking the National Invasive Species Council to develop standard 
monitoring requirements for projects combating harmful nonnative 
species.
  Using a two-pronged approach, the SPACE Act would provide resources 
to States and U.S. territories, including Indian Tribes, to address 
real problems and real solutions. The first prong is a grant program to 
provide resources to States, territories and tribes to develop 
assessments to control their harmful nonnative species. Participation 
in the program would be voluntary, but once this bill becomes law we 
believe that all States, territories and tribes will want to take 
advantage of this opportunity and the benefits it can bring to them, 
aiding them in the organization, prioritizing and specific actions with 
regards to their harmful non-native species problems and allowing them 
to apply for what the bill refers to as Aldo Leopold Grants. Technical 
assistance would also be available to the States, territories and 
tribes through the National Invasive Species Council to ensure that all 
assessments would be effective and include the recommendations of the 
Council's overarching Management Plan.
  The second prong is implementing the assessments through what would 
be known as Aldo Leopold Native Heritage Grant Program, which would be 
available on a 75% federal, 25% non-federal cost sharing basis. Through 
a variety of partnerships land and water owners and managers would be 
eligible to receive grants administered by the Secretary of the 
Interior. The approved assessment would serve as a guide for developing 
projects with partners, including Department of Interior and Forest 
Service lands, working together to control or eradicate harmful 
nonnative species on the lands and waters under their governance. 
With the assessment as the foundation for all projects, this 
legislation would encourage addressing all problems at the ecosystem 
level and including all land and water owners. To support the use of 
innovative methods and technologies, grants would be available on an 
85% federal, 15% non-federal basis if new techniques are used. 
Reporting and monitoring requirements are mandated by the grant, 
allowing for the creation of a database which would track the methods 
and results of

[[Page E2392]]

each project, both over the short and long term.

  To facilitate and demonstrate how these relationships between federal 
and other public and private lands and waters should work, the SPACE 
Act would also create a demonstration program with the National 
Wildlife Refuge System. This program would implement cooperative 
projects to be carried out on lands and waters of the National Wildlife 
Refuge System and their adjacent neighbors, demonstrating cooperation 
and helping to address the operations and maintenance backlog of the 
Refuge System. Because this is a demonstration project, the non-Federal 
lands involved would not have to have a State assessment yet in place. 
These projects would be the first to operate under this Act, and the 
results would be reported to the Council for inclusion in a database.
  Finally, this legislation would create a rapid response capability 
under the National Invasive Species Council. The Governor of a State 
experiencing a sudden invasion of a harmful nonnative species may apply 
to the Secretary for monetary assistance to eradicate the species or 
immediately control it. All assistance would be given by the Secretary 
in consultation with the Council, and each rapid response project would 
have the same monitoring and reporting requirements as an Aldo Leopold 
Grant project.
  Mr. Speaker, while there are a number of initiatives already in place 
aimed at combating invasive species, there is a void in existing 
statute as no current law is designed to directly protect and conserve 
our native species from harmful non-native species at the federal or 
any other level. There are laws directly addressing harmful nonnative 
species, but mainly through prevention. These include the Non-
indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act, the Alien 
Species Prevention and Enforcement Act, the Federal Plant Pest Act, the 
Plant Protection Act, and the Federal Noxious Weed Act.
  In the development of this legislation, we have worked with a number 
of organizations including the Wildlife Management Institute, the 
National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, the National 
Audubon Society, the Aldo Leopold Foundation, the National Wildlife 
Refuge Association, the Izaak Walton League, the Wildlife Society, the 
American Fisheries Society and Trout Unlimited. Also consulted were the 
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Invasive Species 
Council, the Northeast Midwest Institute, the International Association 
of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, The Nature Conservancy, the Natural 
Resources Defense Council, the American Birding Association and the 
Wildlife Conservation Society.
  I look forward to working with all interested parties as well as the 
members of the Resources Committee to facilitate the enactment of this 
bill.

                          ____________________