10 



merited. So in terms of spread impacts on forests and urban areas, 

 this is a whole new threat. 



I could say that in North Carolina we have been blessed by a re- 

 cent introduction of this. You understand how I mean **blessed," be- 

 lieve me. It was introduced on munitions brought in by the military 

 at the Sunny Point Ocean Terminal near Wilmington, North Caro- 

 lina. To eradicate this introduction, it will cost approximately $9.45 

 million over 3 years. 



The Secretary last week, the Secretary of Agriculture, issued an 

 emergency declaration, and we have got that project underway. 

 That is just the tip of the iceberg in what a typical introduction can 

 cost and cause. 



On a national level, laws and regulations addressing non-indige- 

 nous species are disjointed, and you have mentioned that in terms 

 of 24 agencies here in your chart. I think 21 of those agencies actu- 

 ally have regulatory oversight as it relates to non-indigenous spe- 

 cies. In the current scheme, one specific agency may have respon- 

 sibility for control or eradication programs while others address 

 movement into the United States or interstate movement. This 

 patchwork of agency involvement has prevented, in many cases, a 

 prompt and timely reaction to the introduction of non-indigenous 

 species, thus allowing a prime opportunity for their full establish- 

 ment and subsequent spread. A good example is the Africanized 

 bee, which has been referred to in terms of action and who has re- 

 sponsibility. 



In order to address problems of non-indigenous species, there 

 must be a coordinated effort at the Federal level to identify pest 

 problems at an early stage and prevent their entry. I think there 

 needs to be definitely a more cohesive, organized relationship 

 among these agencies and functions. I am not sure that a lead 

 agency is the complete answer, but there needs to be definitely 

 more of a coordination and emphasis on this function. 



One of the things that is paramount to being able to do anything 

 as it relates to this is a solid base of funding, and that is the very 

 first thing that slows an effort when we have a new introduction 

 that needs an effort. You have to go hunt money. There is never 

 a resource there to effectively deal with these situations. 



For example, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 

 has a contingency fund of $3 million. Well, Senator, you are famil- 

 iar with what just one introduction of Medfly costs. One introduc- 

 tion of Medfly here will drain that fund right there. There needs 

 to be a stronger funding base and an emergency fund of large 

 enough significance so that it can be drawn on, possibly that needs 

 to have multi-agency access. I do not know exactly the best way to 

 organize that, but that is a major drawback. 



Policy issues as outlined in the recently released OTA report and 

 by the USDA PPQ Weed Policy Steering Group in their depart- 

 mental recommendations represent a shift to a more holistic ap- 

 proach in reacting to the introduction of non-indigenous plant and 

 animal species in the United States. One area that cries out is the 

 issue of funding, particularly in the area of noxious weeds, and 

 that is where I would like to place my emphasis today. 



Considering the full impacts of non-indigenous species, weeds 

 have far more impact from an economic perspective, which I have 



