[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1519 Reported in Senate (RS)]
Calendar No. 367
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1519
[Report No. 111-182]
To provide for the eradication and control of nutria in Maryland,
Louisiana, and other coastal States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 27, 2009
Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Vitter, Ms. Landrieu, Ms. Mikulski, and
Mr. Merkley) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
May 5, 2010
Reported by Mrs. Boxer, without amendment
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the eradication and control of nutria in Maryland,
Louisiana, and other coastal States.
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 ``Nutria Eradication and Control Act
of 2009''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) wetland and tidal marshes in the Chesapeake Bay, the
State of Louisiana, and other coastal States provide
significant cultural, economic, and ecological benefits to the
United States;
(2) the South American nutria (Myocastor coypus) is
directly contributing to substantial marsh loss on Federal,
State, and private land in the States of Maryland and Louisiana
and other coastal States;
(3) the Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003 (Public
Law 108-16; 117 Stat. 621) authorized the Maryland Nutria
Project, which has successfully eradicated nutria from more
than 130,000 acres of Chesapeake Bay wetland in the State of
Maryland;
(4) the Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003 (Public
Law 108-16; 117 Stat. 621) and the Coastal Wetlands Planning,
Protection, and Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 3951 et seq.)
authorized the Coastwide Nutria Control Program, which has
reduced nutria-impacted wetland acres in the State of Louisiana
from 80,000 acres to 23,141 acres; and
(5) proven techniques developed under the Nutria
Eradication and Control Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-16; 117
Stat. 621) that are eradicating nutria from the State of
Maryland and are reducing the acres of nutria-impacted wetland
in Louisiana, should be applied to nutria eradication or
control programs in other nutria-infested coastal States.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to authorize the Secretary
of the Interior to provide financial assistance to the States of
Maryland, Louisiana, Delaware, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington to
carry out activities--
(1) to eradicate or control nutria; and
(2) to restore nutria damaged wetland.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Coastal state.--The term ``coastal State'' means each
of the States of Delaware, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington.
(2) Program.--The term ``program'' means the nutria
eradication program established by section 4(a).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
SEC. 4. NUTRIA ERADICATION PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--There is established a nutria eradication program
under which the Secretary may, subject to the availability of
appropriations, provide financial assistance to the States of Maryland
and Louisiana and the coastal States to implement measures--
(1) to eradicate or control nutria; and
(2) to restore wetland damaged by nutria.
(b) Goals.--The goals of the program shall be--
(1) to eradicate nutria in the State of Maryland;
(2) to eradicate or control nutria in the State of
Louisiana and the coastal States; and
(3) to restore wetland damaged by nutria.
(c) Activities in the State of Maryland.--The Secretary shall
require that the program carried out in the State of Maryland consist
of management, research, and 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, and updated
March 2009.
(d) Cost-sharing Requirement.--
(1) Federal share.--The Federal share of the total cost of
the program may not exceed 75 percent.
(2) In-kind contributions.--The non-Federal share of the
total cost of the program may be provided in the form of in-
kind contributions of materials or services.
(e) Limitation on Administrative Expenses.--Not more that 5 percent
of the financial assistance provided by the Secretary under the program
may be used for administrative expenses.
SEC. 5. REPORT.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Secretary and the National Invasive Species Council shall--
(1) for purposes of the program, give consideration to--
(A) the 2002 report for the Louisiana Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries entitled ``Nutria in
Louisiana''; and
(B) the March 2009 update of the document entitled
``Eradication Strategies for the Nutria in the
Chesapeake and Delaware Bay Watersheds'' and dated
March 2002;
(2) continue, 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 wetland in the States of Louisiana and Maryland; and
(3) develop, in cooperation with the State of Delaware
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the
State of Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the
State of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the State
of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, long-term nutria
control or eradication programs, as appropriate, with the
objective to significantly reduce and restore the damage nutria
cause to coastal wetland in the coastal States.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for each
of fiscal years 2010 through 2014--
(1) $4,000,000 to provide financial assistance under the
program to each of the States of Maryland and Louisiana; and
(2) $1,000,000 to provide financial assistance under the
program to each of the coastal States.
Calendar No. 367
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1519
[Report No. 111-182]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the eradication and control of nutria in Maryland,
Louisiana, and other coastal States.
_______________________________________________________________________
May 5, 2010
Reported without amendment