[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 56 (Tuesday, April 8, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H2872-H2874]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NUTRIA ERADICATION AND CONTROL ACT OF 2003
Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 273) to provide for the eradication and control of
nutria in Maryland and Louisiana.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 273
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Nutria Eradication and
Control Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. 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. 3. NUTRIA ERADICATION PROGRAM.
(a) Grant Authority.--The Secretary of the Interior (in
this Act 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.
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(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 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and
2008.
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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands
(Mrs. Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).
Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to offer this measure along with the
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin). The fundamental goal of this
legislation is to effectively address the growing problem of nutria
that are destroying thousands of acres of essential wetland habitat. It
also reauthorizes a 1998 law that created a pilot nutria program in
Maryland at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Fishing Bay Wildlife
Management Area, and Tudor farms.
Since that time, Federal, State and local partners have worked
together in Maryland to develop a nutria eradication strategy and to
test restoration methods on the damaged marsh. Louisiana is working on
a nutria control strategy and monitoring marsh recovery. These are both
carefully crafted proposals which will systematically address nutria
population control and marsh damage. They represent the culmination of
scientific understanding about nutria population, dynamics and marsh
impacts.
Because of the nutria's incredible ability to proliferate,
partnerships in both States must act aggressively to avoid population
increases that could nullify previous effort and investment of public
and private resources. Both Maryland and Louisiana are serious about
nutria control and have contributed several million in non-Federal
funds, and both are committed to providing models for the control of
nutria in the 14 other States in which they are found. Full commitment
from both Federal and State partners is needed to complete these models
over the next 5 years.
This semi-aquatic, nonnative rodent has no natural predators in
Maryland, and they have consumed nearly half of the marsh lands on
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. These marshes are vital to the
survival of millions of migratory waterfowl, bold and golden eagles,
and neotropical songbirds. The remaining acreage of Blackwater is in
serious peril. Unless nutria are stopped, they will continue to destroy
wetlands in Blackwater and other refuges on the Delmarva peninsula, and
marshlands along the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico.
H.R. 273 will authorize Public Law 105-322, and it will implement the
next step in the process, which is the eradication of nutria in
Maryland as well as the restoration of damaged wetlands. In their
testimony, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated: ``We recognize
the need to continue cooperative efforts to eradicate nutria in the
Chesapeake Bay region and will continue as a key Federal member of the
nutria eradication partnership.''
In addition, H.R. 273 authorizes money to alleviate the tremendous
problems that nutria have caused in 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.
Under the terms of the 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.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 273 will help to solve serious problems facing
Maryland's Eastern Shore and Louisiana's marshlands. It will serve as a
model for other States that may face the prospect of fighting against
an invading population of nutria. I urge Members to vote for H.R. 273.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam 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. Madam Speaker, as stated by the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest), the overall purpose of this legislation is to
better coordinate and provide financial assistance to the States of
Maryland and Louisiana in their efforts to eradicate and/or control
nutria, a large member of the rodent family that has decimated wetland
areas in both States.
Madam Speaker, no one denies the fact that nutria have become far too
abundant in some regions of both States. In addition, it is the
consensus of wildlife biologists that greater effort should be
undertaken now to control this invasive pest before it ruins more
valuable fish and wildlife habitat. This legislation is
noncontroversial and should also help conserve coastal wetlands,
something which is very important to my district. I support H.R. 273
and urge Members to do likewise.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume to close.
Madam Speaker, I thank the leadership on the other side of the aisle
for moving this legislation. We appreciate the cooperation we have had
from the Democrats, as well as staff on both sides. I urge Members to
vote for this very important piece of legislation.
Mr. TAUZIN. Madam Speaker, Nutria is a rodent native to South
America. They weigh approximately 18 pounds and resemble a beaver. In
the 1930's, they were introduced into Louisiana. Studies indicate that
female nutria are capable of producing up to 15 young per year. By
1943, they were well established in our state. The population of nutria
in Louisiana reached levels of 20 million--many times higher than any
other state in the country.
The preferred habitat of this rodent is wetland areas. They often dig
intricate tunnel and burrow systems in their home range. Nutria have
been known to eat rice, sugarcane, fruit and nut trees and seedlings of
bald cypress, but prefer wetlands plants. Studies suggest that they
waste 90 percent of plant material while feeding on the base and root
system. This root system ``holds'' our fragile wetlands areas together.
When the root systems are destroyed, so are the wetlands.
Researchers in Louisiana have fenced off areas of wetland plants in
known nutria breeding areas. The protected area have had wetlands
plants exceed six feet in height, while the unprotected areas have
literally turned into mud, and eventually, open water. Between 2000 and
2001, the area of marsh converted to open water increased by over 4500
acres as a results of nutria damage. These rodents have damaged or
destroyed over 100,000 acres in Louisiana.
The State of Louisiana has spent millions of dollars responding to
this crisis. Nutria have been used as a source of fur, their meat has
been placed on numerous restaurant menus and marketed by Louisiana's
top chefs, they have been used as a food source for alligators in
farming operations and the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans used them in
their animal feed. In 2001 dollars, pelts sold at levels as high as $31
each in 1931, $23 each in 1977, and today, $2.18 per pelt. In the late
1970's, trappers removed up to 1.9 million nutria per year. More
recently, despite the best efforts of the state, only 987 trapping
licenses were sold and less than 30,000 nutria were taken.
The American alligator is the most significant natural predator of
nutria. In Louisiana, where alligator are most abundant, nutria
comprise up to 60 percent of alligator diet. However, efforts to
control the growing nutria population with alligator have proven
insufficient. In fact, efforts to increase the alligator population to
control nutria only resulted in a decrease of nutria in the alligator's
diet and an increase in nutria trappers in alligator's diets.
I am happy to join my friend from Maryland, Congressman Gilchrest, in
this effort to protect our fragile wetland areas from future
destruction by passage of H.R. 273. As you
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know, more endangered species depend upon the habitat provided by
wetlands than any other environment for survival. In coastal areas,
each mile of vegetated wetland also reduces storm surge by one foot--
protecting these areas will save FEMA money in future natural
disasters.
This bill recognizes the wetland destruction caused by nutria in
Louisiana and authorizes the Department of Interior to become a partner
in our state's ongoing efforts to prevent further damage to inland and
coastal wetland areas as a result of nutria.
Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
{time} 1245
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 273.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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