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“THE NATIONAL AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES ACT OF 2003” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S3495-S3496 on March 11, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE NATIONAL AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES ACT OF 2003
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, last week, I joined several of my colleagues in introducing the National Invasive Species Council Act, which addresses how the Federal Government would coordinate itself in combating aquatic and terrestrial and aquatic invasive species. I was also pleased last week to join my colleagues in introducing the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2003, NAISA.
The National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2003 would reauthorize the Non-indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act, which Congress first passed in 1990 to better deal with the invasion of zebra mussels in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are still plagued by invasive species. In fact, over 160 non-indigenous species have been established in the Great Lakes since the 1800s.
The economic damage that invasive species, like the zebra mussels, Eurasion Ruffe, purple loosestrife, sea lamprey, and so many more cause to the Great Lakes is quite high. The zebra mussel has raised the cost of doing business for raw water users in the Great Lakes region by $24 million per year, and the Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the economic impact to industries nationwide from zebra mussels over the next 10 years will be $5 billion dollars. The Eurasian Ruffe, another invasive species that fortunately has been found in just a couple ports in the Great Lakes, is estimated to cost the Great Lakes fishery $119 million if it spreads throughout the system. Considering that the value of the Great Lakes fishery is approximately $4 billion per year, I believe that Congress needs to take the next important steps to minimize the risk of new invasions into the Great Lakes.
NAISA would improve the Great Lakes aquatic invasive species program by authorizing the State Department to pursue a reference to the International Joint Commission, IJC, to analyze the prevention efforts in the Great Lakes. Last fall, the IJC released its 11th biennial Great Lakes Water Quality Report, and in that report, the IJC recommended this reference. Because controlling invasive species in the Great Lakes is an international effort, it is necessary for the IJC to review, research, conduct hearings, and submit to the United States and Canada a report that describes the success of current policies of governments in the United States and Canada having jurisdiction over the Great Lakes.
Our bill also would improve and expand upon the dispersal barrier project in the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal. The dispersal barrier was originally authorized in the National Invasive Species Act of 1996, and the project became operational in 2002. The electric barrier is proving to be effective in preventing the movement of carp up and down the canal, but this barrier is imperfect. This canal supports maritime commerce, and finding a permanent solution to preventing the inter-
basin movement of invasive species is important. Therefore, NAISA would authorize the construction of a second barrier in the canal and mandate other improvements to this project so that if an invasive species breeches one barrier, there would be a backup barrier. Additionally, NAISA expands the barrier authority so that the Corps and the Fish and Wildlife Service would study additional waterways that would be good candidates for a dispersal barrier.
To address the largest pathway of invasive species introduction--
ballast water--NAISA would establish a nationwide mandatory ballast water management program that would apply to ships entering the Great Lakes system. Because these ships still contain small amounts of unpumpable water that may contain organisms, ballast water management practices would help address the problem of ``No Ballast On Board'' or
``NOBOB'' vessels, which are ships that enter the Great Lakes reporting no ballast on board. By encouraging the regular flushing of sediments from ballast tanks in Great Lakes ships, management practices can further reduce the likelihood of new invasions.
Ships operating exclusively in the upper four Great Lakes, Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie, do not introduce invasive species into the Great Lakes, so it would be unnecessary to expect the lake carriers to comply with the mandatory ballast water management program. However, all ships, including those in the Great Lakes, would be required to have an Invasive Species Management Plan on-board outlining ways to minimize transfers on a ``whole ship'' basis and to abide by best management practices. Also all ships constructed after 2006 must have ballast technology on-board.
Finally, NAISA would include new authority to set up procedures for screening importations of live aquatic organisms to ensure that potential invasive species are not intentionally introduced into the Great Lakes System. I was very surprised to learn that currently, there are no processes for screening aquatic organisms that are shipped to this country. Our bill would direct the Invasive Species Council to develop a set of screening guidelines for federal agencies to use to determine whether a planned importation of a live organism from outside the country into the United States should proceed, and if so, whether that importation should be conditioned.
This is a very good bill with bipartisan, bicameral support. Though it is national in scope, the bill improves upon the existing authorities relating to the Great Lakes, which is vital to my home State of Ohio. Aquatic nuisance species are a threat to biodiversity, an economic burden, and a danger to human health. So I urge my colleagues to support the quick passage of this legislation.
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