[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 119 (Tuesday, September 28, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H7686-H7689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          BROWN TREE SNAKE CONTROL AND ERADICATION ACT OF 2004

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 3479) to provide for the control and eradication of the 
brown tree snake on the island of Guam and the prevention of the 
introduction of the brown tree snake to other areas of the United 
States, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3479

       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 ``Brown Tree Snake Control and 
     Eradication Act of 2004''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Brown tree snake.--The term ``brown tree snake'' means 
     the species of the snake Boiga irregularis.
       (2) Compact of free association.--The term ``Compact of 
     Free Association'' means the Compacts of Free Association 
     entered into between the United States and the governments of 
     the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the 
     Marshall Islands, as approved by and contained in Public Law 
     108-188 (117 Stat. 2720; 48 U.S.C. 1921 et seq.), and the 
     Compact of Free Association entered into between the United 
     States and the government of the Republic of Palau, as 
     approved by and contained in Public Law 99-658 (100 Stat. 
     3673; 48 U.S.C. 1931 et seq.).
       (3) Freely associated states.--The term ``Freely Associated 
     States'' means the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of 
     Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
       (4) Introduction.--The terms ``introduce'' and 
     ``introduction'' refer to the expansion of the brown tree 
     snake outside of the range where this species is endemic.
       (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary concerned'' means--
       (A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to matters 
     under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior; and
       (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to matters 
     under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture.
       (6) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means both the 
     Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture.
       (7) Technical working group.--The term ``Technical Working 
     Group'' means Brown Tree Snake Technical Working Group 
     established under the authority of section 1209 of the 
     Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 
     1990 (16 U.S.C. 4728).
       (8) Territorial.--The term ``territorial'', when used to 
     refer to a government, means the Government of Guam, the 
     Government of American Samoa, and the Government of the 
     Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as 
     autonomous agencies and instrumentalities of such a 
     government.
       (9) United states.--The term ``United States'', when used 
     in the geographic sense, means the several States, the 
     District of Colombia, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth 
     of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
     Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, any other possession 
     of the United States, and any waters within the jurisdiction 
     of the United States.

     SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING NEED FOR IMPROVED AND 
                   BETTER COORDINATED FEDERAL POLICY FOR BROWN 
                   TREE SNAKE INTRODUCTION, CONTROL, AND 
                   ERADICATION.

       It is the sense of Congress that there exists a need for 
     improved and better coordinated control, interdiction, 
     research, and eradication of the brown tree snake on the part 
     of the United States and other interested parties.

     SEC. 4. BROWN TREE SNAKE CONTROL, INTERDICTION, RESEARCH AND 
                   ERADICATION.

       (a) Funding Authority.--Subject to the availability of 
     appropriations to carry out this section, the Secretaries 
     shall provide funds to support brown tree snake control, 
     interdiction, research, and eradication efforts carried out 
     by the Department of the Interior and the Department of 
     Agriculture, other Federal agencies, States, territorial 
     governments, local governments, and private sector entities. 
     Funds may be provided through grants, contracts, reimbursable 
     agreements, or other legal mechanisms available to the 
     Secretaries for the transfer of Federal funds.
       (b) Authorized Activities.--Brown tree snake control, 
     interdiction, research, and eradication efforts authorized by 
     this section shall include at a minimum the following:
       (1) Expansion of science-based eradication and control 
     programs in Guam to reduce the undesirable impact of the 
     brown tree snake in Guam and reduce the risk of the 
     introduction or spread of any brown tree snake to areas in 
     the United States and the Freely Associated States in which 
     the brown tree snake is not established.
       (2) Expansion of interagency and intergovernmental rapid 
     response teams in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
     Mariana Islands, Hawaii, and the Freely Associated States to 
     assist the governments of such areas with detecting the brown 
     tree snake and incipient brown tree snake populations.
       (3) Expansion of efforts to protect and restore native 
     wildlife in Guam or elsewhere in the United States damaged by 
     the brown tree snake.
       (4) Establishment and sustained funding for an Animal Plant 
     and Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Operations 
     Program State Office located in Hawaii dedicated to 
     vertebrate pest management in Hawaii and United States 
     Pacific territories and possessions. Concurrently, the Animal 
     Plant and Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services 
     Operations Program shall establish and sustain funding for a 
     District Office in Guam dedicated to brown tree snake control 
     and managed by the Hawaii State Office.
       (5) Continuation, expansion, and provision of sustained 
     research funding related to the brown tree snake, including 
     research conducted at institutions located in areas affected 
     by the brown tree snake.
       (6) Continuation, expansion, and provision of sustained 
     research funding for the Animal Plant and Health Inspection 
     Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center 
     of the Department of Agriculture related to the brown tree 
     snake, including the establishment of a field station in Guam 
     related to the control and eradication of the brown tree 
     snake.
       (7) Continuation, expansion, and provision of sustained 
     research funding for the Fort Collins Science Center of the 
     United States Geological Survey related to the brown tree 
     snake, including the establishment of a field station in Guam 
     related to the control and eradication of the brown tree 
     snake.
       (8) Expansion of long-term research into chemical, 
     biological, and other control techniques that could lead to 
     large-scale reduction of brown tree snake populations in Guam 
     or other areas where the brown tree snake might become 
     established.
       (9) Expansion of short, medium, and long-term research, 
     funded by all Federal agencies interested in or affected by 
     the brown tree snake, into interdiction, detection, and early 
     control of the brown tree snake.
       (10) Provision of planning assistance for the construction 
     or renovation of centralized multi-agency facilities in Guam 
     to support Federal, State, and territorial brown tree snake 
     control, interdiction, research and eradication efforts, 
     including office space, laboratory space, animal holding 
     facilities, and snake detector dog kennels.
       (11) Provision of technical assistance to the Freely 
     Associated States on matters related to the brown tree snake 
     through the mechanisms contained within a Compact of Free 
     Association dealing with environmental, quarantine, economic, 
     and human health issues.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Secretaries to carry out this 
     section (other than subsection (b)(10)) the following 
     amounts:
       (1) For activities conducted through the Animal and Plant 
     Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Operations, not 
     more than $2,600,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 
     through 2010.
       (2) For activities conducted through the Animal and Plant 
     Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National 
     Wildlife Research Center, Methods Development, not more than 
     $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.
       (3) For activities conducted through the Office of Insular 
     Affairs, not more than $3,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
     years 2006 through 2010.
       (4) For activities conducted through the Fish and Wildlife 
     Service, not more than $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
     years 2006 through 2010.
       (5) For activities conducted through the United States 
     Geological Survey, Biological Resources, not more than 
     $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.
       (d) Planning Assistance.--There is authorized to be 
     appropriated to the Secretary

[[Page H7687]]

     of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior such amounts 
     as may be required to carry out subsection (b)(10).

     SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF QUARANTINE PROTOCOLS TO CONTROL THE 
                   INTRODUCTION AND SPREAD OF THE BROWN TREE 
                   SNAKE.

       (a) Establishment of Quarantine Protocols.--Not later than 
     two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, but 
     subject to the memorandum of agreement required by subsection 
     (b) with respect to Guam, the Secretaries shall establish and 
     cause to be operated at Federal expense a system of pre-
     departure quarantine protocols for cargo and other items 
     being shipped from Guam and any other United States location 
     where the brown tree snake may become established to prevent 
     the introduction or spread of the brown tree snake. The 
     Secretaries shall establish the quarantine protocols system 
     by regulation. Under the quarantine protocols system, Federal 
     quarantine, natural resource, conservation, and law 
     enforcement officers and inspectors may enforce State and 
     territorial laws regarding the illegal transportation, 
     possession, or introduction of any brown tree snake.
       (b) Cooperation and Consultation.--The activities of the 
     Secretaries under subsection (a) shall be carried out in 
     cooperation with other Federal agencies and the appropriate 
     State and territorial quarantine, natural resource, 
     conservation, and law enforcement officers. In the case of 
     Guam, as a precondition on the establishment of the system of 
     pre-departure quarantine protocols under such subsection, the 
     Secretaries shall enter into a memorandum of agreement with 
     the Government of Guam to obtain the assistance and 
     cooperation of the Government of Guam in establishing the 
     system of pre-departure quarantine protocols.
       (c) Implementation.--The system of pre-departure quarantine 
     protocols to be established under subsection (a) shall not be 
     implemented until funds are specifically appropriated for 
     that purpose.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section the following 
     amounts:
       (1) To the Secretary of Agriculture, not more than 
     $3,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.
       (2) To the Secretary of the Interior, not more than 
     $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.

     SEC. 6. TREATMENT OF BROWN TREE SNAKES AS NONMAILABLE MATTER.

       A brown tree snake constitutes nonmailable matter under 
     section 3015 of title 39, United States Code.

     SEC. 7. ROLE OF BROWN TREE SNAKE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP.

       (a) Purpose.--The Technical Working Group shall ensure that 
     Federal, State, territorial, and local agency efforts 
     concerning the brown tree snake are coordinated, effective, 
     complementary, and cost-effective.
       (b) Specific Duties and Activities.--The Technical Working 
     Group shall be responsible for the following:
       (1) The evaluation of Federal, State, and territorial 
     activities, programs and policies that are likely to cause or 
     promote the introduction or spread of the brown tree snake in 
     the United States or the Freely Associated States and the 
     preparation of recommendations for governmental actions to 
     minimize the risk of introduction or further spread of the 
     brown tree snake.
       (2) The preparation of recommendations for activities, 
     programs, and policies to reduce and eventually eradicate the 
     brown tree snake in Guam or other areas within the United 
     States where the snake may be established and the monitoring 
     of the implementation of those activities, programs, and 
     policies.
       (3) Any revision of the Brown Tree Snake Control Plan, 
     originally published in June 1996, which was prepared to 
     coordinate Federal, State, territorial, and local government 
     efforts to control, interdict, eradicate or conduct research 
     on the brown tree snake.
       (c) Reporting Requirement.--
       (1) Report.--Subject to the availability of appropriations 
     for this purpose, the Technical Working Group shall prepare a 
     report describing--
       (A) the progress made toward a large-scale population 
     reduction or eradication of the brown tree snake in Guam or 
     other sites that are infested by the brown tree snake;
       (B) the interdiction and other activities required to 
     reduce the risk of introduction of the brown tree snake or 
     other nonindigenous snake species in Guam, the Commonwealth 
     of the Northern Mariana Islands, Hawaii, American Samoa, and 
     the Freely Associated States;
       (C) the applied and basic research activities that will 
     lead to improved brown tree snake control, interdiction and 
     eradication efforts conducted by Federal, State, territorial, 
     and local governments; and
       (D) the programs and activities for brown tree snake 
     control, interdiction, research and eradication that have 
     been funded, implemented, and planned by Federal, State, 
     territorial, and local governments.
       (2) Priorities.--The Technical Working Group shall include 
     in the report a list of priorities, ranked in high, medium, 
     and low categories, of Federal, State, territorial, and local 
     efforts and programs in the following areas:
       (A) Control.
       (B) Interdiction.
       (C) Research.
       (D) Eradication.
       (3) Assessments.--Technical Working Group shall include in 
     the report the following assessments:
       (A) An assessment of current funding shortfalls and future 
     funding needs to support Federal, State, territorial, and 
     local government efforts to control, interdict, eradicate, or 
     conduct research on the brown tree snake.
       (B) An assessment of regulatory limitations that hinder 
     Federal, State, territorial, and local government efforts to 
     control, interdict, eradicate or conduct research on the 
     brown tree snake.
       (4) Submission.--Subject to the availability of 
     appropriations for this purpose, the Technical Working Group 
     shall submit the report to Congress not later than one year 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (d) Meetings.--The Technical Working Group shall meet at 
     least annually.
       (e) Inclusion of Guam.--The Secretaries shall ensure that 
     adequate representation is afforded to the government of Guam 
     in the Technical Working Group.
       (f) Support.--To the maximum extent practicable, the 
     Secretaries shall make adequate resources available to the 
     Technical Working Group to ensure its efficient and effective 
     operation. The Secretaries may provide staff to assist the 
     Technical Working Group in carrying out its duties and 
     functions.
       (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to each of the Secretaries not more than 
     $450,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010 to 
     carry out this section.

     SEC. 8. MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS.

       (a) Availability of Appropriated Funds.--Amounts 
     appropriated under this Act shall remain available until 
     expended.
       (b) Administrative Expenses.--Of the amounts appropriated 
     to carry out this Act for a fiscal year, the Secretaries may 
     expend not more than five percent to cover the administrative 
     expenses necessary to carry out this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Radanovich) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Grijalva) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich).
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest), chairman of the Fisheries Conservation, 
Wildlife and Oceans Subcommittee of the Committee on Resources, to 
explain this legislation.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
this time.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 3479, the Brown Tree Snake Control and 
Eradication Act of 2004, introduced by the distinguished gentlewoman 
from Guam (Ms. Bordallo), has wide support.
  This particular species, the brown tree snake, has been an awful 
nemesis on Guam for 50 years. It has virtually eradicated all of the 
local bird population that nests on the ground. It has been a problem 
for many decades, and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) has been 
relentless to bring that to our attention to do something about it.
  This particular bill offers a number of approaches and solutions. It 
broadens the level of Federal involvement and research in the brown 
tree snake programs in Guam. It requires the establishment of 
predeparture quarantine protocols so the brown tree snake does not go 
anywhere else in the South Pacific. It declares that the brown tree 
snake is nonmaleable, thank goodness for that; clarifies the role of 
the brown tree snake technical working group, and authorized an 
enhanced level of Federal financial assistance. So basically the 
gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) has created a structure upon which 
it is possible, and many people thought it was impossible up to this 
point, to actually eradicate the brown tree snake.
  In my district in Maryland we have had a problem with an invasive 
species called the nutria, a rat that weighs about 30 pounds, from 
South America. It has been a significant problem for about the same 
period of time, but because of a similar proposal structure, Federal 
involvement, State involvement, and so on, we have neared the time 
where we are eradicating that particular species.
  So I want to compliment the gentlewoman from Guam. We will work with 
her until the day that there are no brown tree snakes in Guam at all.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I would like to commend the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo),

[[Page H7688]]

the sponsor of this bill, for bringing forth this very important 
legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo).
  (Ms. Bordallo asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, first I would like to thank the 
gentleman from Maryland (Chairman Gilchrest) for his very kind words in 
support of this measure.
  As this is the last in a number of the Committee on Resources' bills 
to come to the floor today, I want to also take the opportunity to 
thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Pombo) and the gentleman 
from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), ranking member, for the largely 
bipartisan and cooperative nature by which they conduct the committee's 
business. Such has been my experience as a freshman, and I am very 
proud to serve on the committee with them.
  I want to especially thank them and their staff for their assistance 
with this bill. The Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradication Act of 
2004 will bring more Federal attention and cooperative support for 
dealing with the critical ecological threat in the Pacific region, the 
brown tree snake, a harmful invasive species. The cooperation directed 
in this legislation will actually save the Federal Government money by 
coordinating Federal activities more efficiently and focusing on the 
goal of eradication.
  H.R. 3479 has been a joint and collaborative effort between myself 
and the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case) and the gentleman from Hawaii 
(Mr. Abercrombie). Together we have worked successfully with 
stakeholders in our district to produce a good bill.
  Again, I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Chairman 
Gilchrest) for his support and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Pallone), ranking member, and their staff, for their support and due 
diligence in this process.

                              {time}  1630

  I also want to extend my appreciation to the gentleman from Virginia 
(Chairman Goodlatte); the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Stenholm); and their staff for working with us on the provisions under 
the Committee on Agriculture's jurisdiction.
  H.R. 3479 recognizes that a coordinated effort on the part of the 
public and private sectors with requisite accountability is essential 
to the successful prevention, control, and management of the brown tree 
snake. With the support of the House today, we can get the direction 
and resources needed to step up the level of protection for the 
ecological and economic interests of Guam, the Northern Marianas 
Islands, Hawaii, and the mainland of the United States.
  Mr. CASE. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support House 
passage of H.R. 3479, the Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradication Act 
of 2004.
  Last November I was pleased to join with my colleagues from Guam, 
Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, and Congressman Neil Abercrombie 
from Hawaii, in introducing this important legislation.
  This bill proposes a long-overdue comprehensive approach, through the 
Departments of Interior and Agriculture, to eradicate the brown tree 
snake in Guam and to prevent its introduction to jurisdictions in the 
Pacific, including my home state of Hawaii. There are other Federal 
agencies, particularly the Departments of Defense and Homeland 
Security, that are crucial to our efforts, and I am fully supportive of 
resources and funding expended by or given to these agencies in 
combating the brown tree snake.
  I greatly appreciate the assistance of my colleagues on the House 
Resources and Agriculture Committees for their hard work on bringing 
this bill to the floor: House Resources Committee Chairman Richard 
Pombo and Ranking Member Nick Rahall; House Resources Subcommittee on 
Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans Chairman Wayne Gilchrest 
and Ranking Member Frank Pallone; House Agriculture Committee Chairman 
Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member Charles Stenholm; and House 
Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture Chairman Robin 
Hayes and Ranking Member Mike Ross.
  The devastating ecological, economic, and human health impacts of the 
brown tree snake have been long known among the affected jurisdictions 
in the Pacific and the federal, state, and territorial agencies charged 
with implementing brown tree snake preventative control and eradication 
programs.
  However, it is clear that unless we address this challenge with a 
long-term, coordinated, and comprehensive approach, Guam will continue 
to struggle with the adverse impacts of the brown tree snake, and we in 
Hawaii will increasingly risk the introduction of the snake into our 
fragile environment. A total of eight brown tree snakes have been found 
live or dead in Hawaii since the mid-1980s. All have been associated 
with the movement of civilian and military vehicles or cargo from Guam.
  Most recently, I joined my colleagues from the Hawaii Congressional 
delegation in expressing our concerns to and seeking funding assistance 
from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in response to the proposed 
reduction in inspection and trapping services at and around Guam 
military and civilian ports by up to 50 percent this November. These 
operations, which are run by APHIS Wildlife Services, annually 
interdict 6,000-7,000 snakes. Since the DOD benefits significantly from 
such operations, and is expected to increase its own presence in 
activities and movements to and from Guam as much as three times in the 
next five years, it is imperative that all military operational 
expansion and construction planning on Guam should include brown tree 
snake control and interdiction design measures and protocols. DOD 
should consider such funding as part of its base operational and 
readiness plans.
  As background, the brown tree snake was accidentally introduced into 
Guam in the late 1940s and 1950s, likely via U.S. military cargo, from 
an area in the Pacific where the snakes are native. Unfortunately, 
because Guam had no natural predator but abundant prey, the brown tree 
snake population spread throughout the island.
  Because the brown tree snake's preferred prey is birds, it is 
directly responsible for the extinction of 9 of 134 native forest birds 
and 3 of 12 native lizards on Guam. Economically, the snakes have 
caused more than 1,600 power outages over a 20-year period in Guam, 
costing the island $4.5 million per year without considering their 
impact on transformers, and damages inside electrical substations. The 
disruptions affect all aspects of everyday life in homes and work, as 
well as for the government and the business community.
  In Hawaii, the brown tree snake represents one of the greatest 
terrestrial ecological threats due to its potential impact on our 
endangered bird species, which are found nowhere else on earth. As a 
result of Hawaii's geographical isolation and lush environment, there 
were more than 140 endemic bird species in the islands prior to human 
contact. Today, among the remaining 71 endemic forms, 30 are federally 
listed as endangered, and 15 of these are on the brink of extinction. 
Any negative impact on our native bird species in Hawaii will 
inevitably impact our native flora as well. Hawaii has the highest 
known number of endemic terrestrial plants of any major island group.
  Economically, a University of Hawaii study estimates that the 
introduction of the brown tree snakes to Hawaii will cause between $28 
million and $450 million annually in electrical power outages. This 
does not include the potential devastation to our agriculture industry. 
In Guam, the brown tree snake has contributed to the decline in 
production of the island's agriculture industry, particularly the 
commercial poultry industry, because the snakes eat eggs and chicks. 
The snake has also impacted the growing of fruits and vegetables 
because insects that are no longer naturally controlled by birds and 
lizards inflict increased damage on crops.

  To address the brown tree snake problem, a Brown Tree Snake Control 
Committee was established subsequent to provisions in the Nonindigenous 
Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990. A multi-agency 
Memorandum of Agreement on Brown Tree Snake Control was also signed in 
1992 and renewed in 1999. However, it expired in March of this year.
  The Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradication Act will statutorily 
authorize a process to ensure the ongoing activities of federal 
agencies, enhance their effectiveness, provide the necessary resources 
from agencies actually conducting the work, and strengthen the 
coordination between federal and regional stakeholder in Hawaii and the 
Pacific in a more systemic fashion.
  Among the authorized activities is the expansion of science-based 
eradication and control programs in Guam; the expansion of interagency 
and intergovernmental rapid response teams in Guam, the Commonwealth of 
the Northern Mariana Islands, and Hawaii; the expansion of efforts to 
protect and restore native wildlife in Guam or elsewhere damaged by the 
brown tree snake; continuation and expansion of sustained research 
funding from the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), 
Wildlife Services, and National Wildlife Research Center, including the 
establishment of

[[Page H7689]]

an APHIS, Wildlife Services, Operations Program State Office located in 
Hawaii; and the expansion of long-term research into chemical and 
biological control techniques that could lead to large-scale reduction 
of brown tree snake populations in Guam.
  H.R 3497 is a product of collaboration between my office, the offices 
of Congresswoman Bordallo and Congressman Abercrombie, and the key 
Federal, State, and territorial stakeholders in the region. While the 
brown tree snake is just one of the more serious of many invasive 
species threats to Hawaii, the mechanisms strengthened and established 
under H.R. 3479 can serve as an exemplary model for addressing other 
invasive species issues, not just in Hawaii, but in our whole country.
  The bill is supported by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, the 
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Hawaii Invasive 
Species Council, the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, the Coordinating 
Group on Alien Species, and others. Such coordinated support in Hawaii 
is illustrative of the seriousness that we take this issue and the 
assistance the federal government can anticipate receiving after 
enactment of this bill. Hawaii's stakeholders will not be silent and 
passive partners in this effort.
  I am specially proud about the establishment of the Hawaii Invasive 
Species Council, which includes key State, county and Federal head 
officials in Hawaii, by legislation approved by the 2003 Hawaii State 
Legislature and Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle.
  I understand that Hawaii is now only one of seven states in the 
country to establish such a council in addressing invasive species 
prevention and response measures at the State level.
  Again, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3479, 
the Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradication Act of 2004. This measure 
will not only ensure continued security for Hawaii and Guam, but the 
entire Pacific region.
  The Hawai'i Biological Survey has documented that an average of 177 
alien species arrive in the State of Hawai'i each year. Out of all the 
possible alien plants and animals that could make their way to the 
Hawaiian Islands, one of the most feared is the brown tree snake.
  The brown tree snake arrived in Guam on military materiel transport 
from the Solomon Islands after World War II. Because Guam has no 
natural predator for the brown tree snake, the snakes have been able to 
flourish and have been recorded as high as 10,000 snakes per acre. The 
brown tree snake is blamed for the extinction of 9 out of 11 bird 
species native to Guam. These snakes also cause frequent and costly 
power outages and are known to bite humans. Like Guam, Hawaii has no 
native snakes and no natural predators for snakes. Only one pregnant 
brown tree snake needs to reach Hawaii in order for the State to 
experience the same catastrophic consequences as Guam.
  Wildlife Services under the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service in the Department of Agriculture provides brown tree snake 
control on Guam by inspecting outgoing military and civilian cargo and 
providing trapping services at Guam's ports. These services interdict 
6,000 to 7,000 snakes annually and have proved to be very successful in 
keeping the brown tree snake out of Hawaii.
  For the past 10 years, the funding for these services has remained 
fixed. The program was able to make up for inflation and increasing 
costs by stopgap measures that have enabled them to continue services. 
However, this is no longer possible. Unforeseen vehicle repair or 
replacement costs, critical travel associated with program 
delivery, required training for staff, increased costs of operations 
and growing containment responsibilities are forcing significant 
reductions in operations. Compounding the problem, Wildlife Services 
has been informed by Anderson Air Force Base that it will have to begin 
to pay for in-kind services that have been provided to the program at 
no cost since 1994. To compensate for this additional unanticipated 
financial burden, further reductions in staffing are anticipated in 
early fiscal year 2005.

  H.R. 3479 would begin to resolve these problems by recognizing the 
seriousness of the threat posed by the brown tree snake. This 
legislation authorizes the Departments of Agriculture and Interior to 
fund brown tree snake interdiction and control efforts and provide 
grants for these efforts. Just as important, this measure would support 
research efforts to control and eventually eradicate this harmful 
species from Guam. Current funding does not allow for in depth research 
that could lead to less labor intensive solutions than the current bait 
and trap method. This legislation also requires the establishment of 
pre-departure quarantine protocols for persons and cargo traveling from 
Guam. This will ensure that this species is not able to spread to other 
Pacific destinations.
  Madam Speaker, this legislation is being considered at a crucial 
point in time. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and thank 
Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall for their continued efforts to 
address the problems of the distant Pacific. I would also like to thank 
Congresswoman Bordallo and her staff. Without the effort of all of 
these parties, this legislation would not be before the House today.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Emerson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3479, 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.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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