[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 26, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                TREE ACT

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                          HON. BRUCE L. BRALEY

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 26, 2014

  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the Temporary 
Assistance for Emergency Eradication (TREE) Act to provide communities 
in my home state of Iowa, and across the nation, with assistance to 
deal with the emerald ash borer. The emerald ash borer, first found in 
Michigan by way of shipping crates from China, is an invasive beetle 
that is thriving in America as it decimates our ash tree populations in 
more than twenty states. In my state alone, it will cost approximately 
$3 to remove these trees that now pose a public safety hazard.
  The intent of the funding in this legislation is to address the 
emerald ash borer problem. The TREE Act will provide critical 
assistance to communities by restoring funding to the US Department of 
Agriculture's office of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services 
(APHIS) back to its previous level of $37 million to continue to ramp 
up their work to find a means to control and eradicate the emerald ash 
borer. Further, it will increase funding for grant programs that 
directly assist local and state governments dealing with this issue as 
they coordinate with their communities and private property owners 
impacted by the infestation of the emerald ash borer.
  To do so, the TREE Act would provide an additional $15 million to the 
Forest Health Management Cooperative Land program to be used to help 
communities address emerald ash borer infestations. As well, an 
additional $5 million would be provided to the Urban and Community 
Forestry program to increase grants available for combating the ash 
borer infestation, and ``re-greening'' efforts as communities diversify 
their tree populations and replenish shade where ash trees have been 
lost.

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