<home> -- <press releases> -- <May 9, 2003>

Congresswoman Bordallo Successfully Authorizes Invasive Species Eradication Pilot Program on Military Installations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 9, 2003 – Today, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness passed by voice vote an amendment by Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo to the FY 2004 National Defense Authorization Act, to establish an Invasive Species Eradication Pilot Program for military installations on Guam. “This is a very significant amendment because it is the first time that invasive species eradication is given the same priority as habitat management. Guam’s experience in this five year pilot program may be the precedent for a new approach to endangered species management nationwide,” said Congresswoman Bordallo regarding the inclusion of her new provision, “I would like to thank Chairman Joel Helfey (R-CO) and Ranking Member Solomon Ortiz (D-TX) for giving this issue the prominence it deserves.”

Congresswoman Bordallo also supported a successful amendment offered by Congressman Gene Taylor (D-MS) to repeal the BRAC process authorized in 2002, which would have seen military bases being closed across the country in 2005. During debate on the amendment Congresswoman Bordallo spoke forcefully against the BRAC process and highlighted her personal knowledge of the issue having managed the BRAC Steering Committee, while serving as Lieutenant Governor. “The experience of the 1995 base closings on Guam demonstrated that there needs to be consistency in the BRAC process. The Department of Defense is now reversing that downsizing and strengthening its presence on Guam. Just imagine how much better prepared the military would be for operations today if those base closures had not taken place.”

The Congresswoman will continue to track these issues and others of concern to Guam closely as the FY 2004 National Defense Authorization Act moves to full committee consideration next week.

Today’s amendment on invasive species follows recent action by the House Resources Committee, which adopted a similar provision authored by Congresswoman Bordallo at their mark-up of H.R. 1497, legislation that reauthorizes the Sikes Act. Enacted in 1960, the Sikes Act requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to complete comprehensive Integrated Natural Resource Management Plans (INRMPs) for each of its installations, including Andersen Air Force Base and U.S. Navy property in Guam. INRMPs provide for DoD’s conservation programs at its installations and include components for fish and wildlife management, wildlife-oriented recreation, habitat enhancement, public use of natural resources, and enforcement of all natural resources laws. “This consultation is key to the successful implementation of any INRMP,” stated Congresswoman Bordallo after today’s mark-up session.

Congresswoman Bordallo’s amendment requires that INRMPs for Guam’s military installations specifically address the control and eradication of invasive species, including the brown tree snake. "The brown tree snake introduced to Guam by military cargo after World War II is the single greatest threat to our environment. Their uncontrolled presence on military installations threatens readiness and thwarts recovery efforts of endangered and threatened species. The amendment strengthens the Federal Government’s involvement in controlling for and eradicating the brown tree snake on Guam and further makes clear the Department of Defense’s responsibility to meet this objective through the INRMP process."

Enclosure: Congresswoman Bordallo’s statement on invasive species at the HASC Readiness Mark-up

Statement by Congresswoman Bordallo
House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness
May 9, 2003

Chairman Hefley and Ranking Member Ortiz; let me express my sincere appreciation for the work that you have done to prepare a bill that focuses attention on the need to eradicate invasive species on military installations by establishing an invasive species pilot program in Guam. I know that we would all like to bring this mark-up to a swift conclusion, but please allow me to take this opportunity to put on record the immensity of the problem that this Committee will take action to address with this provision.

Invasive species deny areas for military training and are a leading cause of the loss of endangered species, thus leading to encroachment by critical habitat designation. According to the Department of Defense there are a number of impacts of invasive species on military operations. First, expansion of invasive species can negate realistic conditions for training or testing operations. Second, invasive species are the second leading cause of habitat destruction. Third, invasive species have physical characteristics that can directly limit training activities in areas where they exist. The language in today’s bill will address this issue on Guam, in what I hope will be the first step in turning the corner on invasive species eradication nationally.

For example, at Fort Hunter Liggett in California, the yellow star thistle (a noxious weed with ½ inch spines that reaches heights of over six feet tall) has invaded parachute landing zones. For reasons I that am sure you can imagine, this six-foot spiky thorn has rendered those areas useless for military training as parachute landing zone.

We must ensure that the Department of Defense, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local stake holders work together on Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans to bring about invasive species eradication. Guam is a perfect place to begin an invasive species eradication program because it is an island. As I mentioned yesterday, the Brown Tree Snake arrived in Guam in the early 1950s on a military cargo plane from Admiralty Island. You can be sure, Mr. Chairman that anything we learn about the eradication of the Brown Tree Snake we will share with you if it somehow appears in your district. Once again, let me thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for recognizing Guam’s ongoing efforts to eradicate invasive species and urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

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Contact: Neil Weare in Washington, D.C., at (202) 225-1188 or Joaquin Perez in Guam at (671) 477-4272.