Western Governors commend Senator Michael Bennet and Senator Steve Daines for introducing S. 2975, the Stop the Spread of Invasive Mussels Act of 2019, bipartisan legislation that would enable state and federal agencies to more effectively combat the spread of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) in western waters.
“Western Governors have long been concerned by the threat that ANS pose to western ecosystems and economies,” asserts the outreach of Dec. 5, 2019 signed by WGA Chair North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Vice Chair Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. “Invasive quagga and zebra mussels are of particular interest, as these invaders annually result in millions of dollars in lost economic activity and cause significant environmental damage to waterbodies in the West."
The Governors point out that containment of invasive quagga and zebra mussels “depends upon the collaboration of federal, state and local agencies. Many state-led containment programs benefit from federal cooperation and funding, and state and federal agencies should be encouraged to sustain and expand these effective partnerships."
The legislation introduced in the Senate would enable that collaboration by adding the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and National Park Service to the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force and grant all agencies on that Task Force the authority to, among other things, conduct inspection and decontamination of watercraft and impound, quarantine, or otherwise prevent entry to limit the movement of aquatic nuisance species into and out of U.S. water.
It would also vest federal agencies with the clear authorities necessary to manage invasive species on lands and waters under their jurisdiction and help ensure that state and federal agencies are able to collaboratively protect the West from the spread of ANS.
“Containing the spread of invasive quagga and zebra mussels is a high priority for western states and we appreciate Senator Bennet’s, Senator Daines’s, and Senator (Jon) Tester’s bipartisan leadership in enabling state and federal agencies to more effectively combat the spread of invasive mussels,” said Jim Ogsbury, Executive Director of the Western Governors’ Association.
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