[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 118 (Wednesday, September 18, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1602-E1603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE INTRODUCTION OF THE AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES RESEARCH ACT (H.R. 
                                 5395)

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 18, 2002

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce today a bill that 
is critical to solving the economic and environmental problems posed by 
aquatic invasive species--the Aquatic Invasive Species Research Act. 
This Act authorizes funding to conduct research to support our efforts 
to detect, prevent and eradicate invasive species. It complements a 
bill being introduced today by Mr. Gilchrest in the House and Mr. Levin 
in the Senate to reauthorize the National Invasive Species Act. Many 
people may wonder what an invasive species is and why it is so crucial 
to keep them out of U.S. waters and so I will start off with some 
background.
  The introduction of non-native invasive species is not new to United 
States. People have brought non-native plants and animals into the 
United States, both intentionally and unintentionally, for a variety of 
reasons since the New World was discovered. Some examples include the 
introduction of nutria (which is a rodent similar to a muskrat) by 
trappers to bolster the domestic fur industry, and the introduction of 
the purple loosestrife plant to add rich color to gardens. Both nutria 
and purple loosestrife are now serious threats to wetlands. Non-native 
species may also be introduced unintentionally, such as through species 
hitching rides in ships, crates, planes, or soil coming into the United 
States--zebra mussels, for example, came into the Great Lakes through 
ballast water from ships.
  Not all species brought into the country are harmful to local 
economies, people, and/or the environment. In fact, most non-native 
species do not survive because the environment does not meet their 
biological needs. In many cases, however, the new species will find 
favorable conditions (such as a lack of natural enemies or an 
environment that fosters propagation) that allow it to survive and 
thrive in a new ecosystem. Only a small fraction of these non-native 
species become an ``invasive species''--defined as a species that is 
both non-native to the ecosystem under consideration, and whose 
introduction causes or may cause economic or environmental harm or harm 
to human health. However, this small fraction can cause enormous 
damage--both economic and environmental.
  Aquatic invasive species can be very costly to our economy. 
Estimating the total economic impact of harmful non-native species is 
extremely difficult. No single organization accumulates such statistics 
comprehensively. However, researchers at Comell University estimate 
that invasive species cost Americans $137 billion annually. This 
includes the cost of

[[Page E1603]]

control, damage to property values, health costs and other factors. 
Just one species can cost government and private citizens billions of 
dollars. For example, zebra mussels have cost the various entities in 
the Great Lakes basin an estimated $3 billion during the past 10 years 
for cleaning water intake pipes, purchasing filtration equipment.
  Beyond economic impacts, invasive species cause ecological costs that 
are even more difficult to quantify. For example, sea lamprey control 
measures in the Great Lakes cost approximately $10 to $15 million 
annually. However, we do not have a good measure of the cost of lost 
fisheries due to this invader. In fact, invasive species are now the 
number two threat to endangered species, right behind habitat loss. 
Quantifying the loss due to extinction of these species is nearly 
impossible.
  To protect our environment and our economy, it Is critical that we 
prevent the introduction of aquatic invasive species to U.S. waters and 
eradicate any new introduction before the species can become 
established (once an invasive species is established, it is almost 
impossible to eradicate it). Spending millions of dollars to prevent 
species introductions will save billions of dollars in control, 
eradication and restoration efforts once the species become 
established. Prevention requires careful, concerted management, but it 
also requires good research. For example, it is impossible to know how 
to prevent invasive species from entering the United States without a 
good understanding of how they get here, an understanding that we would 
develop through the pathway surveys conducted under this bill. We 
cannot screen the planned importations of non-native species for ones 
that may invade without a thorough understanding of the characteristics 
that make a species invasive and an ecosystem vulnerable, a profile 
that would be created in this bill. Finally, we can't prevent invasive 
species from entering our waters through ships' ballasts (a known 
pathway) without good technologies to eradicate species in ballast 
waters. This bill supports the development and demonstration of 
technologies to detect, prevent and eradicate invasive species.
  In fact, research underlies every management decision aimed at 
detecting, preventing, controlling and eradicating invasive species; 
educating citizens and stakeholders; and restoring ecosystems. Research 
is also crucial to ensure that resources are optimally deployed to 
increase the effectiveness of government programs. This bill sets up a 
comprehensive research program to support efforts to detect, prevent 
and eradicate invasive species through informing and reviewing 
management initiatives. Now let me explain some of the details of the 
bill.
  The bill is divided into six sections. In the first three sections of 
the bill, a comprehensive research program is established through the 
United States Geological Survey, the Smithsonian Environmental Research 
Center, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to 
conduct surveys and experimentation on invasive species, and analyze 
and disseminate the results. The goal of this program is to support 
efforts to prevent the introduction of, detect and eradicate invasive 
species. This will be done by notifying early detection and rapid 
response efforts, informing relevant policy questions, and assessing 
the effectiveness of implemented policies. For instance, infor-nation 
about new invasive species discovered in the monitoring effort will be 
directly disseminated to those agencies that can respond rapidly. And 
policy makers will learn about the pathways and practices that are most 
responsible for bringing invasive species into U.S. waters so that they 
can set up targeted responses to reduce the risk posed by those 
pathways.
  In the fourth section of the bill, a research, development and 
deployment program is set up to promote environmentally sound 
technologies to better detect, prevent the introduction of, and 
eradicate invasive species. This includes programs to develop dispersal 
barriers, and the expansion of a program geared toward demonstrating 
technologies that prevent invasive species from being introduced by 
ships. The fifth section of the bill focuses on setting up research to 
directly support the Coast Guard's efforts to set standards lor the 
treatment of ships with respect to preventing them from introducing 
invasive species. The National Academy of Sciences will be asked to 
make recommendations for standards, and researchers will be asked to 
evaluate the effectiveness of any standard and recommend protocols to 
test technologies on ships to make sure they meet that standard. 
Finally, invasive species research depends on strong academic programs 
in systematics and taxonomy and so the National Science Foundation will 
be given funding to support academic research in those areas.
  Preventing aquatic invasive species from entering U.S. waters and 
eradicating them upon entry are critical to our economy and 
environment, and good policy decisions depend on good scientific 
research. I urge all of my colleagues to support this very important 
bill.

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