[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 3, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1110-E1111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTION OF THE SPECIES PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF THE 
                            ENVIRONMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 3, 2003

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, unbeknownst to many Americans lurks a drain 
on our economy estimated to be greater than $100 billion annually and 
growing, a drain that goes unchecked and relatively unpublicized 
because it is not glamorous. Yet, this drain is spreading, continually 
invading our natural spaces and crowding out our native flora and 
fauna--in West Virginia, across Appalachia and beyond.
  This economic sinkhole is caused by harmful non-native species, also 
referred to as invasive or nuisance species; an issue which last year 
catapulted into the public eye with the larger-than-life Northern 
Snakehead fish in a Maryland pond. But it took a predatory fish that 
can walk on land, with enough charisma to make it onto David 
Letterman's late night Top Ten List, to get the American public to 
finally sit up and take notice.
  As Aldo Leopold said: ``A thing is right when it tends to preserve 
the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is 
wrong when it tends otherwise.'' This then sums up the silent warfare 
that is being perpetrated against our economy, our fish and wildlife 
and our native species of plants--threats by invasive species.
  For instance, my home State of West Virginia is relatively small in 
terms of land mass, but vast in the opportunities it affords anyone who 
seeks to enjoy wildlife-based outdoor recreation. Yet, this traditional 
and important sector of my State's economy is under siege by harmful 
non-native space invaders. According to a report focusing on West 
Virginia that was just released by the Union of Concerned Scientists:
  State and Federal agencies have spent more than $18 million since 
1983 to control the European Gypsy Moth in West Virginia, a voracious 
forest pest that kills trees and dramatically hurts the timber 
industry;
  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 
tree's sap, thereby killing it. This tree is a unique species for my 
State, and unless drastic measures are taken, it will be completely 
wiped out by this insect; and
  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 and public health impacts from its 
clogging of municipal and industrial water intake pipes and outfalls.
  These are only select examples that illustrate the kinds of problems 
West Virginia faces as the result of invasive species. Unfortunately, 
there are over 1,000 non-native species in West Virginia, over 300 of 
which are known to cause environmental and economic damage. In my view, 
we have an obligation to our natural heritage to protect, conserve and 
restore native species from these ``space invaders.''
  While there are a number of initiatives already in place aimed at 
combating invasive species, there is a void in existing statutes. No 
current law is directly designed to protect and conserve our native 
species from harmful non-native species at the Federal or any other 
level. There are laws addressing harmful nonnative species, but mainly 
through prevention, including the National Invasive Species Act, the 
Alien Species Prevention and Enforcement Act, the Federal Plant Pest 
Act, the Plant Protection Act, and the Federal Noxious Weed Act. Most 
Federal funding presently goes to protect production agriculture with 
little allocated to assist States and local communities directly.
  For these reasons, today I, along with like-minded Members who are 
similarly concerned about invasive species, are reintroducing 
legislation to protect, conserve and restore our native fish, wildlife 
and their habitats by addressing the threat of harmful invasive species 
where it matters most--at the local level.
  The Species Protection and Conservation of the Environment Act, or 
SPACE Act, would provide the missing link in existing efforts to combat 
the destructive invasion of some of our most valuable natural areas by 
harmful non-native species. Save for a couple of refinements, this bill 
is identical to legislation reported by the Resources Committee last 
year. Specifically our legislation would:
  Provide grants to States to write State-wide assessments to identify 
exactly where their native species are being threatened by harmful 
nonnative species and where cooperative control efforts should be 
focused;
  Encourage the formation of voluntary, locally-based partnerships 
among Federal land management agencies and non-Federal land and water 
owners and managers through the competitive Aldo Leopold grant program 
and encourage the use of innovative technology to control invasive 
species;
  Create a legislative authority for the National Invasive Species 
Council;
  Authorize a Federal-level rapid response capability for an incipient 
threat; and
  Provide funds for long term monitoring of control project sites so 
that we can learn by experience what strategies and techniques are most 
effective at controlling harmful non-native species.
  The bill I introduce today augments last year's legislation in that 
it would provide a statutory authorization for the National Invasive 
Species Council, established in 1999 by Executive Order 13112. In 
codifying the Council, this legislation seeks to strengthen and make 
permanent the Federal interagency cooperation necessary for the 
management of invasive species. The Council is responsible for 
coordinating the implementation of the National Management Plan--
``Meeting the Invasive Species Challenge.''
  In the development of this legislation, I have worked with a number 
of environmental and science organizations including the newly formed 
National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species, which includes 
the American Lands Alliance, the Center for International Environmental 
Law, Defenders of Wildlife, Environmental Defense, Environmental Law 
Institute, Great Lakes United, the International Center for Technology 
Assessment, National Wildlife Federation, National Wildlife Refuge 
Association, The Nature Conservancy, and the Union of Concerned 
Scientists. These organizations, along with Audubon, the Aldo Leopold 
Foundation and American Fisheries Society, are also offering their 
strong support for my legislation.
  I look forward to working with all interested parties as well as the 
members of the Resources Committee to facilitate the enactment of this 
important legislation.

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