I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 260 

To establish marine and freshwater research, development, and demonstration 

programs to support efforts to prevent, control, and eradicate invasive 

species, as well as to educate citizens and stakeholders and restore 

ecosystems. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 5, 2007 

Mr. EHLERS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on 

Transportation and Infrastructure, Natural Resources, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish marine and freshwater research, development, 

and demonstration programs to support efforts to prevent, control, and eradicate invasive species, as well as 

to educate citizens and stakeholders and restore ecosystems. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Aquatic Invasive Spe5 cies Research Act’’. 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
2 

•HR 260 IH

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 The Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) Aquatic invasive species damage infrastruc4 ture, disrupt commerce, outcompete native species, 

5 reduce biodiversity, and threaten human health. 

6 (2) The direct and indirect costs of aquatic 

7 invasive species to our Nation’s economy number in 

8 the billions of dollars per year. 

9 (3) Recent studies have shown that, in addition 

10 to economic damage, invasive species cause enor11 mous environmental damage, and have cited invasive 

12 species as the second leading threat to endangered 

13 species. 

14 (4) Over the past 200 years, the rate of de15 tected marine and freshwater invasions in North 

16 America has increased exponentially. 

17 (5) The rate of invasions continues to grow 

18 each year. 

19 (6) Marine and freshwater research underlies 

20 every aspect of detecting, preventing, controlling, 

21 and eradicating invasive species, educating citizens 

22 and stakeholders, and restoring ecosystems. 

23 (7) Current Federal efforts, including research 

24 efforts, have focused primarily on controlling estab25 lished invasive species, which is both costly and often 

26 unsuccessful. An emphasis on research, development, 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
3 

•HR 260 IH

1 and demonstration to support efforts to prevent 

2 invasive species or eradicate them upon entry into 

3 United States waters would likely result in a more 

4 cost-effective and successful approach to combating 

5 invasive species through preventing initial introduc6 tion. 

7 (8) Research, development, and demonstration 

8 to support prevention and eradication includes moni9 toring of both pathways and ecosystems to track the 

10 introduction and establishment of nonnative species, 

11 and development and testing of technologies to pre12 vent introduction through known pathways. 

13 (9) Therefore, Congress finds that it is in the 

14 United States interest to conduct a comprehensive 

15 and thorough research, development, and demonstra16 tion program on aquatic invasive species in order to 

17 better understand how aquatic invasive species are 

18 introduced and become established and to support 

19 efforts to prevent the introduction and establishment 

20 of, and to eradicate, these species. 

21 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

22 In this Act: 

23 (1) ADMINISTERING AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘ad24 ministering agencies’’ means— 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
4 

•HR 260 IH

1 (A) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

2 Administration (including the Great Lakes En3 vironmental Research Laboratory); 

4 (B) the Smithsonian Institution (acting 

5 through the Smithsonian Environmental Re6 search Center); and 

7 (C) the United States Geological Survey. 

8 (2) AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM.—The term ‘‘aquatic 

9 ecosystem’’ means a freshwater, marine, or estuarine 

10 environment (including inland waters, riparian 

11 areas, and wetlands) located in the United States. 

12 (3) BALLAST WATER.—The term ‘‘ballast 

13 water’’ means any water (with its suspended matter) 

14 used to maintain the trim and stability of a vessel. 

15 (4) INVASION.—The term ‘‘invasion’’ means the 

16 introduction and establishment of an invasive species 

17 into an ecosystem beyond its historic range. 

18 (5) INVASIVE SPECIES.—The term ‘‘invasive 

19 species’’ means a species— 

20 (A) that is nonnative to the ecosystem 

21 under consideration; and 

22 (B) whose introduction causes or may 

23 cause harm to the economy, the environment, or 

24 human health. 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
5 

•HR 260 IH

1 (6) INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL.—The term 

2 ‘‘Invasive Species Council’’ means the council estab3 lished by section 3 of Executive Order No. 13112 

4 (42 U.S.C. 4321 note). 

5 (7) PATHWAY.—The term ‘‘pathway’’ means 1 

6 or more routes by which an invasive species is trans7 ferred from one ecosystem to another. 

8 (8) SPECIES.—The term ‘‘species’’ means any 

9 fundamental category of taxonomic classification or 

10 any viable biological material ranking below a genus 

11 or subgenus. 

12 (9) TASK FORCE.—The term ‘‘Task Force’’ 

13 means the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force es14 tablished by section 1201(a) of the Nonindigenous 

15 Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 

16 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4721(a)). 

17 (10) TYPE APPROVAL.—The term ‘‘type ap18 proval’’ means an approval procedure under which a 

19 type of system is certified as meeting a standard es20 tablished pursuant to Federal law for a particular 

21 application. 

22 SEC. 4. COORDINATION AND IMPLEMENTATION. 

23 (a) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this Act, the 

24 administering agencies shall coordinate with— 

25 (1) appropriate State agencies; 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
6 

•HR 260 IH

1 (2) the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environ2 mental Protection Agency, and other appropriate 

3 Federal agencies; and 

4 (3) the Task Force and Invasive Species Coun5 cil. 

6 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The administering agencies 

7 shall enter into a memorandum of understanding regard8 ing the implementation of this Act, which shall include the 

9 coordination required by subsection (a). 

10 (c) COOPERATION.—In carrying out this Act, the ad11 ministering agencies shall contract, as appropriate, or oth12 erwise cooperate with academic researchers. 

13 (d) STRUCTURE.—To the extent practicable, the ad14 ministering agencies shall carry out this Act working with15 in the organizational structure of the Task Force and 

16 Invasive Species Council. 

17 SEC. 5. ECOLOGICAL AND PATHWAY RESEARCH. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The administering agencies shall 

19 develop and conduct a marine and fresh-water research 

20 program which shall include ecological and pathway sur21 veys and experimentation to detect nonnative aquatic spe22 cies in aquatic ecosystems and to assess rates and patterns 

23 of introductions of nonnative aquatic species in aquatic 

24 ecosystems. The goal of this marine and freshwater re25 search program shall be to support efforts to prevent the 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
7 

•HR 260 IH

1 introduction of, detect, and eradicate invasive species 

2 through informing early detection and rapid response ef3 forts, informing relevant policy decisions, and assessing 

4 the effectiveness of implemented policies to prevent the in5 troduction and spread of aquatic invasive species. Surveys 

6 and experiments under this subsection shall be commenced 

7 not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment 

8 of this Act. 

9 (b) PROTOCOL DEVELOPMENT.—The administering 

10 agencies shall establish standardized protocols for con11 ducting ecological and pathway surveys of nonnative 

12 aquatic species under subsection (a) that are integrated 

13 and produce comparable data. Protocols shall, as prac14 ticable, be integrated with existing protocols and data col15 lection methods. In developing the protocols under this 

16 subsection, the administering agencies shall draw on the 

17 recommendations gathered at the workshop under sub18 section (g). The protocols shall be peer reviewed, and re19 vised as necessary. Protocols shall be completed within 1 

20 year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

21 (c) ECOLOGICAL AND PATHWAY SURVEY REQUIRE22 MENTS.—(1) Each ecological survey conducted under sub23 section (a) shall, at a minimum— 

24 (A) document baseline ecological information of 

25 the aquatic ecosystem including, to the extent pracVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:45 Jan 12, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260

pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
8 

•HR 260 IH

1 ticable, a comprehensive inventory of native species, 

2 nonnative species, and species of unknown origin 

3 present in the ecosystem, as well as the chemical 

4 and physical characteristics of the water and under5 lying substrate; 

6 (B) for nonnative species, gather information to 

7 assist in identifying their life history, environmental 

8 requirements and tolerances, the historic range of 

9 their native ecosystems, and their history of spread10 ing from their native ecosystems; 

11 (C) track the establishment of nonnative species 

12 including information about the estimated abun13 dance of nonnative organisms in order to allow an 

14 analysis of the probable date of introduction of the 

15 species; and 

16 (D) identify the likely pathway of entry of non17 native species. 

18 (2) Each pathway survey conducted under this sec19 tion shall, at a minimum— 

20 (A) identify what nonnative aquatic species are 

21 being introduced or may be introduced through the 

22 pathways under consideration; 

23 (B) determine the quantities of organisms being 

24 introduced through the pathways under consider25 ation; and 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
9 

•HR 260 IH

1 (C) determine the practices that contributed to 

2 or could contribute to the introduction of nonnative 

3 aquatic species through the pathway under consider4 ation. 

5 (d) NUMBER AND LOCATION OF SURVEY SITES.— 

6 The administering agencies shall designate the number 

7 and location of survey sites necessary to carry out marine 

8 and freshwater research required under this section. In 

9 establishing sites under this subsection or subsection (e), 

10 emphasis shall be on the geographic diversity of sites, as 

11 well as the diversity of the human uses and biological char12 acteristics of sites. 

13 (e) COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM.—The National 

14 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United 

15 States Geological Survey shall jointly administer a pro16 gram to award competitive, peer-reviewed grants to aca17 demic institutions, State agencies, and other appropriate 

18 groups, in order to assist in carrying out subsection (a), 

19 and shall include to the maximum extent practicable di20 verse institutions, including Historically Black Colleges 

21 and Universities and those serving large proportions of 

22 Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, or 

23 other underrepresented populations. 

24 (f) SHIP PATHWAY SURVEYS.—Section 

25 1102(b)(2)(B)(ii) of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
10 

•HR 260 IH

1 Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 

2 4712(b)(2)(B)(ii)) is amended to read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(ii) examine other potential modes 

4 for the introduction of nonnative aquatic 

5 species by ship, including hull fouling.’’. 

6 (g) WORKSHOP.—In order to support the develop7 ment of the protocols and design for the surveys under 

8 subsections (b) and (c), and to determine how to obtain 

9 consistent, comparable data across a range of ecosystems, 

10 the administering agencies shall convene at least one 

11 workshop with appropriate researchers and representa12 tives involved in the management of aquatic invasive spe13 cies from Federal and State agencies and academic insti14 tutions to gather recommendations. The administering 

15 agencies shall make the results of the workshop widely 

16 available to the public. The workshop shall be held within 

17 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

18 (h) EXPERIMENTATION.—The administering agen19 cies shall conduct research to identify the relationship be20 tween the introduction and establishment of nonnative 

21 aquatic species, including those legally introduced, and the 

22 circumstances necessary for those species to become 

23 invasive. 

24 (i) NATIONAL PATHWAY AND ECOLOGICAL SURVEYS

25 DATABASE.— 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
11 

•HR 260 IH

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The United States Geologi2 cal Survey shall develop, maintain, and update, in 

3 consultation and cooperation with the Smithsonian 

4 Institution (acting through the Smithsonian Envi5 ronmental Research Center), the National Oceanic 

6 and Atmospheric Administration, and the Task 

7 Force, a central, national database of information 

8 concerning information collected under this section. 

9 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The database shall— 

10 (A) be widely available to the public; 

11 (B) be updated not less than once a quar12 ter; 

13 (C) be coordinated with existing databases, 

14 both domestic and foreign, collecting similar in15 formation; and 

16 (D) be, to the maximum extent practicable, 

17 formatted such that the data is useful for both 

18 researchers and Federal and State employees 

19 managing relevant invasive species programs. 

20 SEC. 6. ANALYSIS. 

21 (a) INVASION ANALYSIS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

23 the date of the enactment of this Act, and every year 

24 thereafter, the administering agencies shall analyze 

25 data collected under section 5 and other relevant reVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:45 Jan 12, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260

pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
12 

•HR 260 IH

1 search on the rates and patterns of invasions by 

2 aquatic invasive species in waters of the United 

3 States. The purpose of this analysis shall be to use 

4 the data collected under section 5 and other relevant 

5 research to support efforts to prevent the introduc6 tion of, detect, and eradicate invasive species 

7 through informing early detection and rapid re8 sponse efforts, informing relevant policy decisions, 

9 and assessing the effectiveness of implemented poli10 cies to prevent the introduction and spread of 

11 invasive species. 

12 (2) CONTENTS.—The analysis required under 

13 paragraph (1) shall include with respect to aquatic 

14 invasive species— 

15 (A) an analysis of pathways, including— 

16 (i) identifying, and characterizing as 

17 high, medium, or low risk, pathways re18 gionally and nationally; 

19 (ii) identifying new and expanding 

20 pathways; 

21 (iii) identifying handling practices 

22 that contribute to the introduction of spe23 cies in pathways; and 

24 (iv) assessing the risk that species le25 gally introduced into the United States 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
13 

•HR 260 IH

1 pose for introduction into aquatic eco2 systems; 

3 (B) patterns and rates of invasion and sus4 ceptibility to invasion of various bodies of 

5 water; 

6 (C) how the risk of establishment through 

7 a pathway is related to the identity and number 

8 of organisms transported; 

9 (D) rates of spread and numbers and types 

10 of pathways of spread of new populations of the 

11 aquatic invasive species and an estimation of 

12 the potential spread and distribution of newly 

13 introduced invasive species based on their envi14 ronmental requirements and historical distribu15 tion; 

16 (E) documentation of factors that influ17 ence an ecosystem’s vulnerability to a nonnative 

18 aquatic species becoming invasive; 

19 (F) a description of the potential for, and 

20 impacts of, pathway management programs on 

21 invasion rates; 

22 (G) recommendations for improvements in 

23 the effectiveness of pathway management; 

24 (H) to the extent practical, a determina25 tion of the level of reduction in live organisms 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
14 

•HR 260 IH

1 of various taxonomic groups required to reduce 

2 the risk of establishment to receiving aquatic 

3 ecosystems to an acceptable level; and 

4 (I) an evaluation of the effectiveness of 

5 management actions (including any standard) 

6 at preventing nonnative species introductions 

7 and establishment. 

8 (b) RESEARCH TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL OF THE

9 ESTABLISHMENT OF INTRODUCED SPECIES.—Within 2 

10 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the ad11 ministering agencies shall develop a profile, based on the 

12 general characteristics of invasive species and vulnerable 

13 ecosystems, in order to predict, to the extent practical, 

14 whether a species planned for importation is likely to in15 vade a particular aquatic ecosystem if introduced. In de16 veloping the profile, the above agencies shall analyze the 

17 research conducted under section 5, and other research 

18 as necessary, to determine general species and ecosystem 

19 characteristics (taking into account the opportunity for in20 troduction into any ecosystem) and circumstances that can 

21 lead to establishment. Based on the profile, the Task 

22 Force shall make recommendations to the Invasive Species 

23 Council as to what planned importations of nonnative 

24 aquatic organisms should be restricted. This profile shall 

25 be peer-reviewed. 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
15 

•HR 260 IH

1 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated for carrying out this sec3 tion and section 5 of this Act, and section 1102(b)(2) of 

4 the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Con5 trol Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4712(b)(2)) for each of the 

6 fiscal years 2008 through 2012— 

7 (1) $4,000,000 for the Smithsonian Environ8 mental Research Center; 

9 (2) $11,000,000 for the United States Geologi10 cal Survey (including activities through the Coopera11 tive Fish and Wildlife Research Program), of which 

12 $6,500,000 shall be for the grant program under 

13 section 5(e), and of which $500,000 shall be for de14 veloping, maintaining, and updating the database 

15 under section 5(i); and 

16 (3) $10,500,000 for the National Oceanic and 

17 Atmospheric Administration, of which $6,500,000 

18 shall be for the grant program under section 5(e). 

19 SEC. 7. DISSEMINATION. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Invasive Species Council, in 

21 coordination with the Task Force and the administering 

22 agencies, shall be responsible for disseminating the infor23 mation collected under this Act to the public, including 

24 Federal, State, and local entities, relevant policymakers, 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
16 

•HR 260 IH

1 and private researchers with responsibility over or interest 

2 in aquatic invasive species. 

3 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 3 years 

4 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Invasive 

5 Species Council shall report actions and findings under 

6 section 6 to the Congress, and shall update this report 

7 once every 3 years thereafter, or more often as necessary. 

8 (c) RESPONSE STRATEGY.—The Invasive Species 

9 Council, in coordination with the Task Force, the admin10 istering agencies, and other appropriate Federal and State 

11 agencies, shall develop and implement a national strategy 

12 for how information collected under this Act will be shared 

13 with Federal, State, and local entities with responsibility 

14 for determining response to the introduction of potentially 

15 invasive aquatic species, to enable those entities to better 

16 and more rapidly respond to such introductions. 

17 (d) PATHWAY PRACTICES.—The Invasive Species 

18 Council, in coordination with the Task Force and the ad19 ministering agencies, shall disseminate information to, 

20 and develop an ongoing educational program for, pathway 

21 users (including vendors and customers) on how their 

22 practices could be modified to prevent the intentional or 

23 unintentional introduction of nonnative aquatic species 

24 into aquatic ecosystems. 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
17 

•HR 260 IH

1 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the 

3 Interior for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012 

4 $500,000 for the Invasive Species Council for carrying out 

5 this section. 

6 SEC. 8. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION, 

7 AND VERIFICATION. 

8 (a) ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND TECHNOLOGY DE9 VELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION, AND VERIFICATION.— 

10 (1) GRANT PROGRAM.—Not later than 1 year 

11 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the En12 vironmental Protection Agency, acting through the 

13 Office of Research and Development, in consultation 

14 with the Army Corps of Engineers, the admin15 istering agencies, and the Task Force, shall develop 

16 and begin administering a grant program to fund re17 search, development, demonstration, and verification 

18 of environmentally sound cost-effective technologies 

19 and methods to control and eradicate aquatic 

20 invasive species. 

21 (2) PURPOSES.—Proposals funded under this 

22 subsection shall— 

23 (A) seek to support Federal, State, or local 

24 officials’ ongoing efforts to control and eradiVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:45 Jan 12, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260

pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
18 

•HR 260 IH

1 cate aquatic invasive species in an environ2 mentally sound manner; 

3 (B) increase the number of environ4 mentally sound technologies or methods Fed5 eral, State, or local officials may use to control 

6 or eradicate aquatic invasive species; 

7 (C) provide for demonstration or dissemi8 nation of the technology or method to potential 

9 end-users; and 

10 (D) verify that any technology or method 

11 meets any appropriate criteria developed for ef12 fectiveness and environmental soundness by the 

13 Environmental Protection Agency. 

14 (3) PREFERENCE.—The Administrator of the 

15 Environmental Protection Agency shall give pref16 erence to proposals that will likely meet any appro17 priate criteria developed for environmental sound18 ness by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

19 (4) MERIT REVIEW.—Grants shall be awarded 

20 under this subsection through a competitive, peer-re21 viewed process. 

22 (5) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the 

23 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

24 of the Environmental Protection Agency shall pre25 pare and submit a report to Congress on the proVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:45 Jan 12, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260

pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
19 

•HR 260 IH

1 gram conducted under this subsection. The report 

2 shall include findings and recommendations of the 

3 Administrator with regard to technologies and meth4 ods. 

5 (b) SHIP PATHWAY TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRA6 TION.— 

7 (1) REAUTHORIZATION OF PROGRAM.—Section 

8 1301(e) of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance 

9 Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 

10 4741(e)) is amended by striking ‘‘$2,500,000’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘$7,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 

12 2008 through 2012’’. 

13 (2) EXPANSION OF PROGRAM.—Section 1104(b) 

14 of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention 

15 and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4714(b)) is 

16 amended— 

17 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and 

18 (5) as paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; and 

19 (B) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 

20 following new paragraph: 

21 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL PURPOSES.—The Secretary 

22 of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce may 

23 also demonstrate and verify technologies under this 

24 subsection to monitor and control pathways of orgaVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:45 Jan 12, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260

pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
20 

•HR 260 IH

1 nism transport on ships other than through ballast 

2 water.’’. 

3 (3) CRITERIA AND WORKSHOP.—Section 1104 

4 of the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention 

5 and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4714) is 

6 amended by adding at the end the following new 

7 subsections: 

8 ‘‘(d) CRITERIA.—When issuing grants under this sec9 tion, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra10 tion shall give preference to those technologies that will 

11 likely meet the criteria laid out in any testing protocol de12 veloped by the Environmental Protection Agency Office of 

13 Research and Development’s Environmental Technology 

14 Verification Program. 

15 ‘‘(e) WORKSHOP.—The National Oceanic and Atmos16 pheric Administration shall hold an annual workshop of 

17 principal investigators funded under this section and re18 searchers conducting research directly related to ship 

19 pathway technology development, for information ex20 change, and shall make the proceedings widely available 

21 to the public.’’. 

22 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

23 are authorized to be appropriated for each of the fiscal 

24 years 2008 through 2012 $2,500,000 for the Environ25 mental Protection Agency to carry out subsection (a). 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
21 

•HR 260 IH

1 SEC. 9. RESEARCH TO SUPPORT THE SETTING AND IMPLE2 MENTATION OF SHIP PATHWAY STANDARDS. 

3 (a) RESEARCH PROGRAM.—The Coast Guard and the 

4 Environmental Protection Agency, in coordination with 

5 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

6 the Task Force, and other appropriate Federal agencies 

7 and academic researchers, shall develop a coordinated re8 search program to support the promulgation and imple9 mentation of standards to prevent the introduction and 

10 spread of invasive species by ships that shall include— 

11 (1) characterizing physical, chemical, and bio12 logical harbor conditions relevant to ballast dis13 charge into United States waters to inform the de14 sign and implementation of ship vector control tech15 nologies and practices; 

16 (2) developing testing protocols for determining 

17 the effectiveness of vector monitoring and control 

18 technologies and practices; 

19 (3) researching and demonstrating methods for 

20 mitigating the spread of invasive species by coastal 

21 voyages, including exploring the effectiveness of al22 ternative exchange zones in the near coastal areas 

23 and other methods proposed to reduce transfers of 

24 organisms; 

25 (4) verifying the practical effectiveness of any 

26 type approval process to ensure that the process proVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:45 Jan 12, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260

pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
22 

•HR 260 IH

1 duces repeatable and accurate assessments of treat2 ment effectiveness; and 

3 (5) evaluating the effectiveness and residual 

4 risk and environmental impacts associated with any 

5 standard set with respect to the ship pathway 

6 through experimental research. 

7 (b) WORKING GROUP.—Not later than 2 years after 

8 the issuance by the Coast Guard of any standard relating 

9 to the introduction by ships of invasive species, the Coast 

10 Guard shall convene a working group including the Envi11 ronmental Protection Agency, the administering agencies, 

12 and other appropriate Federal and State agencies and aca13 demic researchers, to evaluate the effectiveness of that 

14 standard and accompanying implementation protocols. 

15 The duties of the working group shall, at a minimum, in16 clude— 

17 (1) reviewing the effectiveness of the standard 

18 in reducing the establishment of invasive species in 

19 aquatic ecosystems, taking into consideration the 

20 data collected under section 5; and 

21 (2) developing recommendations to the Coast 

22 Guard for the revision of such standard and type ap23 proval process to ensure effectiveness in reducing in24 troductions and accurate shipboard monitoring of 

25 treatment performance that is simple and streamVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:45 Jan 12, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H260.IH H260

pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
23 

•HR 260 IH

1 lined, which shall be made widely available to the 

2 public. 

3 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated for each of the fiscal 

5 years 2008 through 2012 $1,500,000 for the Coast Guard 

6 and $1,500,000 for the Environmental Protection Agency 

7 to carry out subsection (a). 

8 SEC. 10. RESEARCH IN SYSTEMATICS AND TAXONOMY. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Science Foundation 

10 shall establish a program to award grants to researchers 

11 at institutions of higher education and museums to carry 

12 out research programs in systematics and taxonomy. 

13 (b) GOALS.—The goals of the program under this 

14 section are to— 

15 (1) encourage scientists to pursue careers in 

16 systematics and taxonomy to ensure a continuing 

17 knowledge base in these disciplines; 

18 (2) ensure that there will be adequate expertise 

19 in systematics and taxonomy to support Federal, 

20 State, and local needs to identify species; 

21 (3) develop this expertise throughout the United 

22 States with an emphasis on regional diversity; and 

23 (4) draw on existing expertise in systematics 

24 and taxonomy at institutions of higher education 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
24 

•HR 260 IH

1 and museums to train the next generation of system2 atists and taxonomists. 

3 (c) CRITERIA.—Grants shall be awarded under this 

4 section on a merit-reviewed competitive basis. Emphasis 

5 shall be placed on funding proposals in a diverse set of 

6 ecosystems and geographic locations, and, when applica7 ble, integrated with the United States Long Term Ecologi8 cal Research Network. Preference shall be given to pro9 posals that will include student participation, and to insti10 tutions and museums that actively train students to be11 come experts in taxonomy and systematics. 

12 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science 

14 Foundation for carrying out this section $2,500,000 for 

15 each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 

16 SEC. 11. STATE PROGRAMS. 

17 (a) PLAN.—The administering agencies, in coopera18 tion with the appropriate State agencies, shall develop a 

19 plan to— 

20 (1) conduct a survey of methods States and 

21 Federal agencies are using to control or eradicate 

22 aquatic invasive species; 

23 (2) facilitate the exchange of information 

24 among States and Federal agencies on methods 

25 States or Federal agencies have found to be effective 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
25 

•HR 260 IH

1 at controlling or eradicating aquatic invasive species 

2 and the costs of those methods; and 

3 (3) evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the various 

4 methods States and Federal agencies are using to 

5 control or eradicate aquatic invasive species. 

6 (b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

7 of enactment of this Act, the administering agencies shall 

8 jointly transmit to the Congress the plan described in sub9 section (a) and the expected costs of carrying out the plan. 

Æ 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS