36 



from the introduction of two pests, the Asian gypsy moth and the 

 nun moth. 



According to the U.S. Fish and Wildhfe Service, non-indigenous 

 species have been a contributing factor, or the major factor in the 

 hsting of one-quarter of all threatened and endangered species. A 

 number of species have already become extinct as a result of alien 

 pests. There is no way to place a dollar value on the loss of these 

 resources. 



Alien pests don't just compete with native species. They chsuige 

 the rules of the game by which native species live. As a result, we 

 are rapidly losing our living heritage of plants and animals that 

 constitute the foundation of biological diversity. 



Both the OTA report and the witnesses at last Friday's hearing 

 described an uncoordinated patchwork of laws, regulations, policies 

 and programs which, in theory, are designed to protect us from 

 damaging infestation. Yet, significant gaps permit the entry of 

 harmful alien fish, wildlife and weeds — as well as vectors of humein 

 disease. Management policies are inconsistent or inadequate, and 

 often in conflict with one £uiother. 



Hawaii is a perfect example of inconsistent Federal policies. All 

 passengers, cargo and mail bound for the mainland from Hawaii 

 are subject to inspection by APHIS. Only Hawaii faces this require- 

 ment. Yet, the Federal Government has been unable or unwilling 

 to protect Hawaii from pests arriving from the mainland Eind for- 

 eign sources. We receive an average of 18 new pests annually — 

 twice as many as any other State — but we cannot get equal treat- 

 ment fi'om Washington. 



When it comes to addressing Hawaii's needs, the Federal Govern- 

 ment maintains a double standard. Despite enactment of the Alien 

 Species Protection and Enforcement Act, a bill requiring APHIS 

 and the Postal Service to operate a program to protect Hawaii from 

 arriving pests, no inspection program has been established. A 

 steady stream of pests continue to infest our State, destroying our 

 environment and ruining our crops. 



APHIS is not the only agency in charge of alien pest control. I 

 want to return to a chart prepared for last week's hearing which 

 lists the 24 Federal agencies responsible for some aspect of re- 

 search, prevention, control, or use of alien species. I wanted to in- 

 vite all of these agencies to testify, but we couldn't find a table long 

 enough. 



Twenty-four Federal agencies enforce more than a dozen major 

 laws, and a host of minor ones, governing non-indigenous species. 

 With so many statutes and so many agencies. Federal alien species 

 policy resembles Swiss cheese, and alien pests continue to stream 

 through the holes in policy and enforcement. 



The question for Congress and the Clinton administration to con- 

 sider is how to achieve a comprehensive national policy to guard 

 against harmful alien pests. I hope today's hearing will provide rec- 

 ommendations on how to improve the current system. 



So that we have greater time for questions and discussion, I ask 

 the witnesses to limit their testimony to 5 minutes. Your written 

 statements will be printed in the record in their entirety, so there 

 is no need to read from a prepared text. The hearing record will 



