[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 61 (Tuesday, May 14, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H2396-H2398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NUTRIA ERADICATION AND MARSHLAND RESTORATION ACT

  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4044) 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, as amended.

[[Page H2397]]

  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4044

       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 in Maryland and have had limited success 
     in the eradication of nutria in Louisiana. 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--
       (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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Souder) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. 
Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder).
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Gilchrest), the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and 
Oceans chairman, has been working on this issue for many years. In 
fact, in 1998 Congress enacted a law he sponsored that created the 
Maryland Nutria Control Pilot Project, and let me briefly, for those 
who are not aware, as I was not, this is a nutria. It is basically a 
South American, somewhat of an overgrown rat, smaller sized groundhog, 
but it is a nonnative species that is destroying the environment in 
certain areas of our country.
  Since that time, Federal, State and local partners have worked 
together to develop an effective strategy on how to address the 
tremendous amount of environmental destruction that is being caused by 
an increasing population of a semi-aquatic, non-native rodent known as 
nutria. This partnership has conducted various studies on the rate of 
wetland destruction, the reproductive capacity of nutria and 
alternatives to control or eradicate this species from the Blackwater 
National Wildlife Refuge, the Fishing Bay Wildlife Management Area and 
Tudor Farms.
  The results of the environmental impact studies were shocking. Nutria 
have no natural predators in Maryland and they have already consumed 
nearly half of the wetland marshlands at the Blackwater National 
Wildlife Refuge. The remaining acreage is in serious peril. Unless 
nutria are stopped, they will continue to destroy wetlands at 
Blackwater, the other eight wildlife refuges on the Delmarva Peninsula 
and marshlands throughout the Atlantic Coast. One of the problems we 
have often in the Fish and Wildlife Service is when the action of 
humans alter the environment, such as bringing in non-native species, 
we often have to intervene to bring back the national environment which 
would be destroyed.
  H.R. 4044 will authorize Public Law 105-322, and it will implement 
the next step in the process, which is the eradication of nutria and 
the restoration of wetlands which are vital to the survival of millions 
of migratory waterfowl, bald and golden eagles and the neotropical 
songbirds. In their testimony, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
stated that: ``The Service recognizes the need to continue cooperative 
efforts to eradicate nutria in the Chesapeake Bay region and will 
continue its commitment as a key Federal member of the nutria 
eradication partnership.''
  At the full committee markup of this legislation, the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin) successfully offered an amendment to expand the 
scope of this measure to address nutria in the State of Louisiana. 
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, these 
pesky rodents have damaged or destroyed over 100,000 acres of wetlands 
in their State. Despite extensive efforts and the consumption of 
thousands of nutria by American alligators, Louisiana's attempt to 
control their growing nutria population have proven ineffective.
  Under the terms of the modified bill, the Secretary of the Interior 
will undertake steps to control or eradicate nutria in the two States 
and together with the National Invasive Species Council develop a long-
term nutria control and eradication program.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4044 is a carefully crafted bill that will help to 
solve a serious problem facing Maryland's Eastern Shore and Louisiana's 
marshlands.

                              {time}  1430

  Furthermore, it will serve as a model for other States that may face 
the prospect of having to fight against an invading population of 
nutria. I urge an ``aye'' vote on H.R. 4044.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
her remarks.)
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4044, 
legislation that would authorize financial assistance to the States of 
Maryland and Louisiana to support efforts to eradicate nutria and 
restore marshland ecosystems.
  There is little doubt that nutria, a large member of the rodent 
family introduced from South America into the United States in the 
1930s, has significantly ruined or destroyed coastal wetland habitats 
in both Maryland and Louisiana.
  The range of distribution of this invasive species continues to 
expand ominously as it searches out new marsh habitat for forage, 
shelter, and breeding. The need for direct action to address this 
environmental threat is real and compelling.
  H.R. 4044 builds upon the measured success of a pilot program 
authorized in 1998 which helped develop new methods and strategies for 
the eradication of nutria and the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay 
watersheds.
  It is hoped that the management, research, and public outreach 
activities authorized in this bill will enable wildlife biologists in 
both Maryland and

[[Page H2398]]

Louisiana to finally get a handle on controlling the widespread 
environmental damage caused by this noxious aquatic pest.
  I urge Members also to support this important invasive-species 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SOUDER. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pence). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4044, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended 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, and 
     for other purposes.''.

  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________