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“INTRODUCTION OF THE SPECIES PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT (SPACE) ACT” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2391-E2392 on Dec. 20, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF THE SPECIES PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF THE
ENVIRONMENT (SPACE) ACT
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HON. NICK J. RAHALL II
of west virginia
in the house of representatives
Thursday, December 20, 2001
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, the United States is an economic powerhouse. We work to keep the economy strong and to maintain a high standard of living for the people who reside here. Yet we have a drain on the economy estimated to be $137 billion annually, a drain that goes unchecked and relatively unpublicized because it is not a ``glamorous topic.'' This drain is spreading, continually invading our natural spaces and crowding out our native flora and fauna.
In this regard, I am referring to harmful non-native species, invasive species; an issue which is not yet fully in the public's eye. Even if a person has little concern with native fish and wildlife and the habitats they live in, even if that person resides in a city where the major wildlife is found only in alleys, the fact remains that invasive species are a drain on our economy. Included in the $137 billion figure I referred to earlier are the negative impacts on agricultural production, control costs, and costs in lost land and water resources and uses. This number is too large to ignore, particularly when trends suggest that the number will only go up over time.
For example, my home State of West Virginia is a relatively small in terms of land mass, but here are only a few of the impacts felt from harmful nonnative species:
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 sap, killing the tree. This tree is a unique species for the State, and unless drastic measures are taken, it will be completely wiped out by this insect.
Shale barrens, one of the most unique natural plant habitats in West Virginia, have been invaded by many non-native species over the years, but two of the most problematic are spotted knapweed and barren bromegrass. These plants out-compete native species and slowly eradicate them from these unique ecosystems.
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 damage from its clogging of water pipes.
These are only three of the over 150 harmful non-natives that currently affect West Virginia. In my view, we have an obligation to our native species to protect, conserve and restore them from the introduction of harmful invasive species.
For these reasons, today I along with the gentleman from Maryland, Wayne Gilchrest, and the gentleman from Guam, Robert Underwood, are introducing a bill to protect, conserve and restore our native fish, wildlife and their habitats by addressing the threat of these space invaders, harmful invasive species. Maryland, for example, has a nutria problem, too many nutria, and the veined rapa whelk, both of which I know Mr. Gilchrest has great concern with. Mr. Underwood has chosen to be an original cosponsor because of the enormous impacts the brown tree snake has on Guam, its power lines and native bird species.
The Species Protection and Conservation of the Environment Act, or SPACE Act, would provide the missing link in existing efforts to combat the pernicious and destructive space invasion of some of our most valuable natural areas by:
1. Providing incentive money to States to write State-wide assessments to study exactly where their native species are being threatened by harmful nonnative species;
2. Providing incentives for projects to implement the State assessments;
3. Encouraging the formation of partnerships among the Federal government and non-Federal land and water owners and managers;
4. Addressing harmful nonnative species' migratory pathways;
5. Implementing specific recommendations of the National Strategy written by the National Invasive Species Council;
6. Creating a Federal-level rapid response capability; and
7. Tasking the National Invasive Species Council to develop standard monitoring requirements for projects combating harmful nonnative species.
Using a two-pronged approach, the SPACE Act would provide resources to States and U.S. territories, including Indian Tribes, to address real problems and real solutions. The first prong is a grant program to provide resources to States, territories and tribes to develop assessments to control their harmful nonnative species. Participation in the program would be voluntary, but once this bill becomes law we believe that all States, territories and tribes will want to take advantage of this opportunity and the benefits it can bring to them, aiding them in the organization, prioritizing and specific actions with regards to their harmful non-native species problems and allowing them to apply for what the bill refers to as Aldo Leopold Grants. Technical assistance would also be available to the States, territories and tribes through the National Invasive Species Council to ensure that all assessments would be effective and include the recommendations of the Council's overarching Management Plan.
The second prong is implementing the assessments through what would be known as Aldo Leopold Native Heritage Grant Program, which would be available on a 75% federal, 25% non-federal cost sharing basis. Through a variety of partnerships land and water owners and managers would be eligible to receive grants administered by the Secretary of the Interior. The approved assessment would serve as a guide for developing projects with partners, including Department of Interior and Forest Service lands, working together to control or eradicate harmful nonnative species on the lands and waters under their governance. With the assessment as the foundation for all projects, this legislation would encourage addressing all problems at the ecosystem level and including all land and water owners. To support the use of innovative methods and technologies, grants would be available on an 85% federal, 15% non-federal basis if new techniques are used. Reporting and monitoring requirements are mandated by the grant, allowing for the creation of a database which would track the methods and results of each project, both over the short and long term.
To facilitate and demonstrate how these relationships between federal and other public and private lands and waters should work, the SPACE Act would also create a demonstration program with the National Wildlife Refuge System. This program would implement cooperative projects to be carried out on lands and waters of the National Wildlife Refuge System and their adjacent neighbors, demonstrating cooperation and helping to address the operations and maintenance backlog of the Refuge System. Because this is a demonstration project, the non-Federal lands involved would not have to have a State assessment yet in place. These projects would be the first to operate under this Act, and the results would be reported to the Council for inclusion in a database.
Finally, this legislation would create a rapid response capability under the National Invasive Species Council. The Governor of a State experiencing a sudden invasion of a harmful nonnative species may apply to the Secretary for monetary assistance to eradicate the species or immediately control it. All assistance would be given by the Secretary in consultation with the Council, and each rapid response project would have the same monitoring and reporting requirements as an Aldo Leopold Grant project.
Mr. Speaker, while there are a number of initiatives already in place aimed at combating invasive species, there is a void in existing statute as no current law is designed to directly protect and conserve our native species from harmful non-native species at the federal or any other level. There are laws directly addressing harmful nonnative species, but mainly through prevention. These include the Non-
indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act, the Alien Species Prevention and Enforcement Act, the Federal Plant Pest Act, the Plant Protection Act, and the Federal Noxious Weed Act.
In the development of this legislation, we have worked with a number of organizations including the Wildlife Management Institute, the National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, the National Audubon Society, the Aldo Leopold Foundation, the National Wildlife Refuge Association, the Izaak Walton League, the Wildlife Society, the American Fisheries Society and Trout Unlimited. Also consulted were the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the National Invasive Species Council, the Northeast Midwest Institute, the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, The Nature Conservancy, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the American Birding Association and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
I look forward to working with all interested parties as well as the members of the Resources Committee to facilitate the enactment of this bill.
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