Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s Remarks.
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining, delivered the following opening statement at the subcommittee hearing on invasive species management.
The hearing highlighted Barrasso’s Federal Lands Invasive Species Control, Prevention and Management Act (S. 2240). The bill would improve the way invasive species are managed and reduced on federal lands.
S. 2240 directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to work with on-the-ground experts to develop and implement a strategic plan for prevention, control, and management of invasive species. These strategic plans target a 5 percent reduction in invasive species each year.
The hearing featured testimony from U.S. Forest Service Associate Deputy Chief Glenn Casamassa; Bureau of Land Management Acting Deputy Director Mike Pool; Wyoming Department of Agriculture Director Doug Miyamoto; Colorado State University Professor of Weed Science Dr. George Beck; and Center for Invasive Species Prevention Vice President Dr. Faith Campbell.
Click here for more information on their testimonies.
Senator Barrasso’s opening statement:
“The purpose of today’s hearing is to examine ecological impacts of invasive species, to conduct oversight of the National Invasive Species Council’s new framework for Early Detection and Rapid Response and to receive testimony on a bill, S. 2240, the Federal Lands Invasive Species Control, Prevention and Management Act.
“The issue we are here to discuss today is at the heart of many important issues that communities face.
“Every year, out-of-control invasive species populations cost the United States more than $100 billion.
“The number is substantial, but it pales in comparison to the ecological damage caused by invasive species.
“In my home state of Wyoming, we deal with many invasive species that compromise water resources and landscape health.
“As a result of fragmented land ownership and poor forage management, invasive species,
like cheatgrass, now infest hundreds of millions of acres.
“These infestations threaten soil retention, increase the likelihood of fast-moving, catastrophic wildfires, and they are low-quality forage for wildlife and livestock, and they are an unnecessary burden on already-taxed water supplies.
“As we all know, catastrophic wildfires destroy wildlife habitat, they contaminate watersheds, and they cause unspeakable damage to our landscapes.
“Cheatgrass infestations make these fires more likely and ultimately, worse when they do happen.
“As an annual grass, cheatgrass is the first to return after a fire has decimated the landscape.
“Other seedlings are pushed out by cheatgrass and soon the landscape is overrun.
“These mono-cultures are far more susceptible to future fires, and so the cycle continues.
“But this doesn’t just happen after a catastrophic wildfire.
“Although they are not here to provide testimony today, the Fish and Wildlife Service has consistently recognized that cheatgrass infestations pose one of the most significant threats to sage grouse habitat conservation efforts.
“The worst part is that cheatgrass is only one of many invasive species we face.
“Zebra and quagga mussels threaten our aquatic ecosystems and cause millions of dollars in damage to dams, to municipal water systems, and to agricultural irrigation systems.
“Lands and waters are under constant threat from invasive populations.
“I know talking to Senator Stabenow, Asian carp have overtaken the Great Lakes and now threaten watersheds downstream.
“In 1999, Executive Order 13112 established the National Invasive Species Council.
“The Council was intended to coordinate invasive species management programs around federal agencies.
“Several subsequent reports from the Government Accountability Office described the Council as widely ineffective, much like the agencies’ own efforts to stem the tide of invasive species.
“The concept of a Council is not without merit, however.
“There is an overwhelming consensus that something must be done to more effectively coordinate agency efforts.
“Last year, attendees of the Western Invasive Weed Summit outlined a set of barriers that hamper their ability to control explosive invasive populations.
“Among those barriers were lack of coordination and communication among agencies, lack of leadership and accountability among oversight bodies, and insufficient monitoring, compliance, and enforcement.
“The gaps must be addressed.
“That’s why I introduced S. 2240, the Federal Lands Invasive Species Control, Prevention and Management Act.
“This bill sets clear targets for reduction of invasive species that, while ambitious, I believe will motivate success with the tools it provides.
“As part of the target to achieve an annual 5 percent reduction in invasive populations, S. 2240 requires annual reports on the successes, and failures, of management efforts.
“It also provides limited categorical exclusions so that when personnel see that an area is at risk for a catastrophic infestation, they are able to react quickly to prevent environmental damage.
“Land managers want a streamlined NEPA approach for the most critical cases so that the processes which are meant to protect our environment, are not inadvertently causing damage.
“So most importantly, S. 2240 encourages use of collaborative partnerships to ensure that management efforts are unrestricted by jurisdictional boundaries.
“Cheatgrass doesn’t stop at the fenceline. Control efforts shouldn’t stop there either.
“So I want to thank each of our five witnesses for being here today.”
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