Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) has introduced legislation to strengthen cooperative efforts by federal, state, and local agencies; non-governmental entities; and Indian tribes to control the spread of terrestrial invasive species through a cost-shared, cooperative grant program. The Public Land Protection and Conservation Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide grants to states, nonprofits, and tribal entities to assess, control, and eradicate invasive species on public and adjacent lands. The bill requires coordination between the National Invasive Species Council, the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the States.

"Invasive species cause devastating environmental, human health, and economic consequences throughout the nation and world," said Akaka. "They are responsible for damage to native ecosystems and vital industries such as agriculture, fisheries, and ranching. The impacts of invasive species are estimated to cost the United States at least $100 billion each year. Invasive species threaten the existence of 42 percent of threatened and endangered species in the United States, and this is an issue that must be confronted.

"Nowhere, however, are the impacts greater than in Hawaii, which has always been known for its biodiversity. For example, the Formosan ground termite, Mediterranean fruit fly, and miconia have caused tremendous and costly problems for Hawaii homeowners, our state's agricultural industry, and Hawaii's rainforests. In total, unwanted alien pests are entering Hawaii at a rate that is about two million times more rapid than the natural rate. Nonnative, invasive species comprise roughly 20 percent of the plants and animals in Hawaii."

Despite their best efforts to reduce the devastation caused by invasive species, states lack the needed funds to adequately address this issue. The General Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report on September 5, 2003, documenting gaps and barriers in federal invasive species legislation. The number one barrier identified in the report was insufficient federal funding for state efforts to control invasive species.

The Department of the Interior, in its FY 2005 budget request, acknowledges that invasive species pose an enormous threat to the ecological and economic health of the Nation. The Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service together received approximately $126 million in FY 2004, and the combined FY 2005 request is identical. "We need a more coordinated attack on invasive species," Akaka noted. "The attack must have robust funding if we are to work in partnership with the states."

The Public Land Protection and Conservation Act would authorize three types of grants, only one of which requires matching funds:

• grants to states for assessment projects to identify, quantify, and prioritize invasive species threats.
• control grants to supply appropriate public or private entities or Indian tribes with funding to carry out, in partnership with a federal agency, an eradication, containment, or management project on federal land or adjacent land. Control grants are cost-shared with states. A maximum of 75 percent of funding shall be federally provided for control projects on adjacent land, with the exception of pilot or demonstration projects, or projects that conserve threatened or endangered species, which shall receive 85 percent federal funding. The federal share of control projects carried out on federal land shall be 100 percent.
• rapid response funds, designated for States facing new outbreaks of invasive species, to provide timely resources to eradicate these organisms before they gain a foothold. Rapid response funds are critical to States in order to combat newly identified invasives.

"There are increasingly severe problems and economic burdens associated with invasive species in our nation," Akaka said. "Federal support to states to combat this problem at the ground level is crucial. If ever there was a time to commit to defending the security of our domestic resources for the future, it is now. My legislation will provide states the desperately needed funding to start a serious battle against invasive species."

The legislation is supported by the State of Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Conservation Council of Hawaii, and the Hawaii affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation. The National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species, a coalition of representatives from major environmental organizations, has extended its full support for this legislation.