[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 117, 108th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


117 STAT. 621]]

Public Law 108-16
108th Congress

An Act


 
To provide for the eradication and control of nutria in Maryland and
Louisiana. [NOTE: Apr. 23, 2003 -  [H.R. 273]]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress [NOTE: Nutria Eradication and
Control Act of 2003.] 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

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117 STAT. 622

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.

(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. [NOTE: Deadline.] 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.

Approved April 23, 2003.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 273:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 149 (2003):
Apr. 8, considered and passed House.
Apr. 9, considered and passed Senate.