Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - June 27, 2007)

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By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Obama, Mr. BROWN, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. LEVIN, and Ms. STABENOW):

S. 1717. A bill to reqire the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Deputy Chief of State and Private Forestry organization, to provide loans to eligible units of local government to finance purchases of authorized equipment to monitor, remove, dispose of, and replace infested trees that are located on land under the jurisdiction of the eligible units of local government and within the borders of quarantine areas infested by the emerald ash borer, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the bipartisan Emerald Ash Borer Municipality Assistance Act of 2007, a bill designed to help local units of government manage the costs of combating this pernicious invasive pest species.

Although some of my colleagues in the Senate may not have heard of the Emerald Ash Borer, it is a destructive pest that poses a significant threat to our forests and urban and residential landscapes.

Some of my colleagues are all too familiar with the destructive power of EAB because of the speed with which it can move from State to State and the extensive damage it can cause to a State's ash tree population. Before this species was discovered in Illinois, I had been following its deadly march across the Midwest and had discussed the dangers of EAB with my colleagues from Michigan and Indiana.

The emerald-green beetle was most likely brought to North America in solid wood packing material from Asia about 10 years ago. Our new flat world means that in addition to improved global communications and more foreign trade and foreign travel, we are also witnessing the international movement of bugs like this beetle.

The beetle was first discovered in Michigan in 2002. Since then, the beetle has killed 20 million of the State's more than 700 million ash trees. Since then, the beetle has been found in Indiana, Ohio, and Maryland. The tiny beetle kills with astonishing speed. During the mating season, the ash borer lays its larva under the bark of the ash trees. When they hatch, hundreds of these beetles feed on the inner bark of the ash tree, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients through the tree.

Within 2 to 3 years of introduction, the beetles will destroy a host ash tree and spread. Each beetle has a half mile flying range, widening the beetle's infestation every year in expanding concentric circles. The beetle is also spread artificially and often unknowingly by campers and others who transport ash firewood and thus introduce the beetle to new environments.

Managing this deadly beetle is a significant challenge. At an average cost of $500 per tree removal and a couple of hundred dollars to replant a tree to maintain forest and urban canopies, this bug presents a serious economic impact on our communities. Additional costs are incurred for equipment, marshalling yards, and survey activities.

While the Federal Government administers a national EAB program through USDA-APHIS, many of the costs of managing EAB are borne by municipalities and homeowners. For example, the city of Woodridge, IL, a town of 30,000, is home to 8,000 public trees, 25 percent of which are ash. If the Emerald Ash Borer were to infest the public-owned ash trees of Woodridge, the cost of removing and replanting Woodridge's trees would be about $1.8 million.

One of the missing pieces in the Federal Emerald Ash Borer, EAB, Program is a mechanism to help municipalities defray the costs of performing EAB prevention duties normally performed by the Federal Government. These costs include managing the EAB population by surveying trees, removing infested trees, and replacing removed trees. The expenses associated with these activities include purchasing bucket trucks, tub grinders, and replacement trees and renting or leasing space for marshalling yards.

The legislation would create a low-interest revolving loan fund for communities for the purchase of capital equipment and replacement trees within quarantine areas. Communities would have a 20-year window to repay the loan. In addition, the bill would allow states to contract with local units of government to perform EAB duties.

Ash trees are among the most commonly found trees in our forests and urban canopies. Wisconsin is home to more than 700 million of them. They make up 20 percent of the tree population of beautiful Madison, WI. The beetle threatens billions of ash trees in North America. Losing our ash trees would incur costs that are difficult to measure. Homeowners deeply love their trees and value the shade and aesthetic beauty they add. Ash trees are a part of our wildlife habitat and diverse environment.

In my State of Illinois, the beetle has been found in multiple locations, in several parts of both Kane County and Cook County. Experts say that unchecked, this beetle could threaten ash trees nationwide on a scale equal to the Dutch Elm Disease, which destroyed more than half of the elm trees in the northern United States.

It is a problem of significant magnitude and I hope my colleagues will join me in this effort to control and eradicate the Emerald Ash Borer.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

S. 1717

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