33 



Senator Akaka. Dr. Carlton mentioned that no State is immune 

 to the effects of these species. Therefore let me ask you one ques- 

 tion. Would a strengthened Lacey Act be a partial improvement on 

 the current system of combatting these pests? Dr. Carlton? 



Mr. Carlton. No question about it. The Lacey Act is one of the 

 tools, but at the moment it is highly selective. I can speak toward 

 marine issues better and aquatic issues better than terrestrial is- 

 sues. The Lacey Act identifies specifically only a very few species 

 that we actually have direct control over, and so that everything 

 else goes down to the State level. The State level has such a com- 

 plex array of regulations which have little enforcement in many 

 arenas that that is the point where we lose control. So I would cer- 

 tainly say a strengthened Lacey Act in a number of directions 

 would be the way to go. 



Senator Akaka. The Lacey Act has also been criticized for not 

 providing comprehensive regulation of interstate transport of feder- 

 ally listed species and for not being clear regarding its application 

 to hybrid and feral animals. Programs to control or eradicate alien 

 fish and wildlife are piecemeal and lack emergency measures and 

 have no proactive components to catch problems early. That has 

 been the criticism of the Lacey Act, and thus the reason for my 

 questions on whether or not the Act should be strengthened to im- 

 prove upon our current system. 



Are there further comments on that question? Dr. Campbell? 



Ms. Campbell. I think it is analogous to the Federal Noxious 

 Weeds Act that there should definitely be a ban on interstate ship- 

 ment of anything that does get put on the Federal list, whether it 

 is the Lacey Act list or the Federal Noxious Weeds Act. It makes 

 no sense to ban the import and spend money on trying to control 

 the spread if you are going to continue to allow these plants and 

 animals to be shipped around the country unregulated. That would 

 be the most obvious and the lowest cost step that could be taken 

 in both cases. It will run up against political opposition, but it is 

 definitely needed. 



Senator Akaka. If there are no more questions or responses, let 

 me close with a few observations. First I want to say thank you 

 very much for your testimony. I also want to thank our staffers, 

 Mickey Prosser and Kerry Taylor, for their preparation and work 

 in organizing this hearing. 



It is abundantly clear that invasive alien plant and animal spe- 

 cies cause great harm to our country, both economically and bio- 

 logically. We have seen that human migration and population 

 growth, increasing trade and travel, and even global climate can in- 

 fluence a species' movements. The enormous changes to existing 

 native species occurring now, as well as the potential impact on fu- 

 ture generations, demand a thoughtful but comprehensive ap- 

 proach at the highest levels of Government. 



Both the OTA report and today's testimony describe an uncoordi- 

 nated patchwork of laws, regulations, policies, and programs. Sig- 

 nificant gaps exist for the entry of alien fish, wildlife, weeds, and 

 for vectors of human diseases. Management poHcies are inconsist- 

 ent or inadequate and often in conflict with one another. 



I believe we have a choice about the kind of world in which we 

 hve, and legislation may well be part of that choice. The Congress 



