I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2732
To amend the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act
of 1990 to prevent the westward spread of aquatic nuisance species
by directing the Secretary of the Interior to prevent westward spread
of such species across and beyond the 100th meridian, monitor water
bodies, and provide rapid response capacity in certain Western States,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 2, 2001
Mr. BAIRD (for himself, Mr. EHLERS, Mr. OTTER, Mr. BONIOR, Mr. RAHALL,
Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. WALDEN, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. HASTINGS
of Washington, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. WU, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms.
HOOLEY of Oregon, Mr. BORSKI, Mr. BARCIA, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of
California, 
Mr. 
SIMPSON, 
Mr. 
THOMPSON
of 
California, 
Mr.
NETHERCUTT, Mr. DICKS, and Mr. HALL of Texas) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Resources, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned
A BILL
To amend the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention
and Control Act of 1990 to prevent the westward spread
of aquatic nuisance species by directing the Secretary
of the Interior to prevent westward spread of such spe-
cies across and beyond the 100th meridian, monitor
water bodies, and provide rapid response capacity in
certain Western States, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Westward Aquat-
ic Threats Act’’.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF NONINDIGENOUS AQUATIC NUI-
SANCE PREVENTION AND CONTROL ACT OF
1990.
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of Nonindigenous Aquatic Nui-
sance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C.
4701 et seq.).
SEC. 3. 100TH MERIDIAN AND WESTWARD PROGRAM.
Subtitle C (16 U.S.C. 4721 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
‘‘SEC. 1210. 100TH MERIDIAN AND WESTWARD PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) PUBLIC INFORMATION AND EDUCATION.—The
Secretary shall coordinate with the States to provide the
public with information and education on the threat of
zebra mussels and other aquatic nuisance species and how
to prevent their westward advance.
‘‘(b) SOURCE STATES ACTION PLAN.—The Sec-
retary, in consultation with the Task Force, shall work
with States that contain aquatic nuisance species, includ-
ing zebra mussels, that threaten western States to develop
and implement a prevention action plan that includes in-
spections of vessels at boat launches and elsewhere.
‘‘(c) MOVEMENT ACROSS THE 100TH MERIDIAN.—
‘‘(1) EARLY
DETECTION
AND
RAPID
RE-
SPONSE.—The Secretary, in consultation with the
Task Force, shall seek to prevent westward move-
ment of aquatic nuisance species by monitoring and
preventing westward movement of zebra mussels and
other aquatic nuisance species across and beyond the
100th meridian, monitoring water bodies, educating
boaters leaving waters infected by aquatic nuisance
species, and providing rapid response capacity in
North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas,
Oklahoma, and Texas.
‘‘(2) CHECK STATIONS.—Under this subsection,
the Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of
Transportation and the States, shall—
‘‘(A) work with States to establish check
stations on highways and waterways that cross
the 100th meridian, and require that all com-
mercial vessels moving westward across the me-
ridian stop and be checked for zebra mussels
and aquatic weeds at such check stations;
‘‘(B) require that contaminated vessels
identified at such check stations be cleaned in
accordance with protocols developed by the
Task Force before being moved across the
100th meridian;
‘‘(C) assess and collect from persons who
violate such requirement more than one time a
civil penalty of $150 for each violation after the
first violation;
‘‘(D) identify and record all vessels that
stop at such check stations and the water body
most recently visited by each such vessel;
‘‘(E) focus prevention resources on States
having the greatest number of contaminated
vessels; and
‘‘(F) coordinate implementation of this
subsection with appropriate Canadian authori-
ties.
‘‘(d) VECTOR ACTION PLANS.—The Secretary and
the Task Force, in collaboration with the States and with-
in 18 months after the date of the enactment of this sub-
section, shall—
‘‘(1) assess the relative risk of vectors and
pathways of westward movement of zebra mussels
and other aquatic nuisance species across the 100th
meridian and throughout the western States and de-
velop adequate action plans to control each pathway,
ranked by priority; and
‘‘(2) provide to the Task Force, for distribution
to the States, data developed through such assess-
ment.
‘‘(e) LEWIS
AND CLARK BICENTENNIAL EXPEDI-
TION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte-
rior shall ensure that the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service and the National Park Service co-
ordinate efforts to implement an action plan to pre-
vent the spread of aquatic nuisance species by ves-
sels and other potential vectors involved in the Lewis
and Clark Bicentennial Expedition, including efforts
to educate participants in such Expedition by no
later than January 1, 2003.
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary of the Interior to carry out this subsection
$100,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through
2005.
‘‘(f) APPLICATION IN OTHER STATES.—If the Sec-
retary determines that any State (other than those listed
in subsection (c)) that is located west of the 100th merid-
ian needs to be involved in implementation of this section
for this section to be effective, the Secretary may apply
this section in such State.
‘‘(g) EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS.—The Sec-
retary shall enter into an arrangement with an inde-
pendent entity under which the entity shall, by January
1, 2005, evaluate the effectiveness of the 100th meridian
and westward program under this section in stopping the
westward movement of zebra mussels and other aquatic
nuisance species across and beyond the 100th meridian.
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry
out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2003
through 2007.’’.
SEC. 4. STATE MANAGEMENT PLANS.
(a) GRANTS
TO STATES
FOR DEVELOPMENT
OF
MANAGEMENT
PLANS.—Section 1204(b) (16 U.S.C.
4724(b)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘make grants
to States to develop management plans under this
section, including for hiring personnel for such de-
velopment, and’’ after ‘‘at the recommendation of
the Task Force,’’;
(2) in paragraph (3)(A) by striking ‘‘each com-
prehensive management plan implemented with Fed-
eral assistance’’ and inserting ‘‘implementation of
each comprehensive management plan’’; and
(3) in paragraph (3)(B) by striking ‘‘each pub-
lic facility management plan implemented with Fed-
eral assistance’’ and inserting ‘‘implementation of
each public facility management plan’’.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section
1301 (16 U.S.C. 4724) is amended—
(1) in subsection (c) by striking ‘‘There are au-
thorized’’ and all that follows through ‘‘of which’’
and inserting ‘‘For grants to States under section
1204(b) there are authorized to be appropriated to
the Director $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2003 through 2007, of which up to 20 percent may
be available for plan development and of which’’;
and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(f) FUNDING FOR CAPACITY BUILDING BY WEST-
ERN REGIONAL PANEL.—To build capacity and foster the
development and implementation of comprehensive man-
agement plans under section 1204 for States located on
or west of the 100th meridian there are authorized to be
appropriated to the Western Regional panel established
under section 1203(b) $600,000 for each of fiscal years
2003 through 2007.’’.
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