[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.
____________________