IB
Union Calendar No. 263
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4044
[Report No. 107–442]
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance to the State
of Maryland for implementation of a program to eradicate nutria and
restore marshland damaged by nutria.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 20, 2002
Mr. GILCHREST introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
MAY 7, 2002
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House
on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 20, 2002]
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide assist-
ance to the State of Maryland for implementation of
a program to eradicate nutria and restore marshland
damaged by nutria.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) Wetlands and tidal marshes of the Chesa-
peake Bay and in Louisiana provide significant cul-
tural, economic, and ecological benefits to the Nation.
(2) The South American nutria (Myocastor
coypus) is directly contributing to substantial marsh
loss in Maryland and Louisiana on Federal, State,
and private land.
(3) Traditional harvest methods to control or
eradicate nutria have failed. Consequently, marsh loss
is accelerating.
(4) The nutria eradication and control pilot pro-
gram authorized by Public Law 105–322 is to develop
new and effective methods for eradication of nutria.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to authorize
the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance
to the State of Maryland and the State of Louisiana for
a program to implement measures to eradicate or control
nutria and restore marshland damaged by nutria.
SEC. 2. NUTRIA ERADICATION PROGRAM.
(a) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of the Interior
(in this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’), subject to
the availability of appropriations, may provide financial
assistance to the State of Maryland and the State of Lou-
isiana for a program to implement measures to eradicate
or control nutria and restore marshland damaged by nu-
tria.
(b) GOALS.—The goals of the program shall be to—
(1) eradicate nutria in Maryland;
(2) eradicate or control nutria in Louisiana and
other States; and
(3) restore marshland damaged by nutria.
(c) ACTIVITIES.—In the State of Maryland, the Sec-
retary shall require that the program consist of manage-
ment, 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.
(d) COST SHARING.—
(1) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the
costs of the program may not exceed 75 percent of the
total costs of the program.
(2) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS.—The non-Federal
share of the costs of the program may be provided in
the form of in-kind contributions of materials or serv-
ices.
(e) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Not
more than 5 percent of financial assistance provided by the
Secretary under this section may be used for administrative
expenses.
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For finan-
cial assistance under this section, there is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary $4,000,000 for the State of
Maryland program and $2,000,000 for the State of Lou-
isiana program for each of fiscal years 2003, 2004, 2005,
2006, and 2007.
SEC. 3. REPORT.
No later than 6 months after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary and the National Invasive Species
Council shall give consideration to the 2002 report for the
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries titled ‘‘Nu-
tria in Louisiana’’, and shall develop, in cooperation with
the State of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fish-
eries, a long-term nutria control program with the objective
to significantly reduce and restore the damage nutria cause
to coastal wetlands in the State of Louisiana.
Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to authorize
the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance to the
State of Maryland and the State of Louisiana for imple-
mentation of a program to eradicate or control nutria
and restore marshland damaged by nutria.’’.