Letter to Senate Appropriations Committee

Letter

Dear Chairmen Inouye and Reed and Ranking Members Cochran and Murkowski:

As you work to prepare the Fiscal Year 2012 Interior, Environmental and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, I urge you to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Interior (DOI) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prevent and control the spread of invasive species which threaten our lands and our national economy.

Invasive plant and animal species are a pervasive problem affecting communities in New York and across the nation. Invasive pests, such as the emerald ash borer, Eurasian milfoil and the brown marmorated stink bug threaten our natural resources and wreck havoc on communities and industries that rely upon them. Preventing invasive species from gaining a foothold in our communities and suppressing established species is indeed money well spent. Once a pest has established itself in a new environment, the economic costs and the impact on the environment can be staggering. For example, it is estimated that the cost of treating and removing trees infected with the invasive emerald ash borer will come to more than $10 billion over the next ten years. In addition, we see daily the negative impact that invasive species are having on the many industries that rely on affected natural resources such as the tourism, forestry and agriculture industries. For this reason, it is imperative that we fund programs which will aid in the fight against invasive species.

I have appreciated the Subcommittee's past support for efforts to fight invasive species. I urge you to provide EPA, DOI and USDA's Forest Service with sufficient funding to address the problem of invasive species.

Thank you and your staff very much for your hard work on this legislation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to have your staff contact my Washington, D.C. office.

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