,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ciid ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #e1 #bjad,mr4 ,bishop of ,utah 7for himself and ,mr4 ,horsford7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to improve the control and management of invasive species that threaten and harm ,federal lands under the jurisdiction of the ,secretary of ,agriculture and the ,secretary of the ,interior1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents 7a7 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,federal ,lands ,invasive ,species ,control1 ,prevention1 and ,management ,act4 7b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents for this ,act is as follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents4,sec4 #b4 ,definitions4,sec4 #c4 ,federal efforts to control and manage invasive species on ,federal lands4,sec4 #d4 ,program funding allocations4,sec4 #e4 ,prudent use of funds4,sec4 #f4 ,use of partnerships4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,alien species ,the term alien species means1 with respect to a particular ecosystem1 any species1 including its seeds1 eggs1 spores1 or other biological material capable of propagating that species1 that is not native to that ecosystem4 7#b7 ,control ,the term control means the eradication1 suppression1 or reduction of the population of an invasive species within the area in which the invasive species is present4 7#c7 ,ecosystem ,the term ecosystem means the complex of a community of organisms and its environment4 7#d7 ,eligible state ,the term eligible ,state means any of the several ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 ,guam1 and the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands4 7#e7 ,invasive species ,the term invasive species means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health4 7#f7 ,manage ,the terms manage and management mean the active implementation of activities-- 7,a7 to reduce or stop the spread of an invasive species2 and 7,b7 to inhibit further infestations or spread of invasive species or harm caused by invasive species1 including investigations regarding methods to prevent1 control1 or manage invasive species4 7#g7 ,prevent ,the term prevent means to hinder the introduction of invasive species onto lands or waters or to impede the spread of invasive species within lands or waters by inspecting1 intercepting1 or confiscating invasive species threats prior to their establishment onto lands or waters of an eligible ,state4 7#h7 ,secretary concerned ,the term ,secretary concerned means-- 7,a7 the ,secretary of the ,interior1 with respect to ,federal lands administered by that ,secretary through the ,bureau of ,indian ,affairs1 the ,bureau of ,land ,management1 the ,bureau of ,reclamation1 the ,national ,park ,service1 or the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service2 and 7,b7 the ,secretary of ,agriculture1 with respect to ,federal lands administered by that ,secretary through the ,united ,states ,forest ,service4 7#i7 ,species ,the term species means a group of organisms1 all of which have a high degree of physical and genetic similarity1 generally interbreed only among themselves1 and show persistent differences from members of allied groups of organisms4 #c4 ,federal efforts to control and manage invasive species on ,federal lands 7a7 ,control and management ,the ,secretary concerned shall plan and carry out activities on lands directly managed by the ,secretary concerned to control and manage invasive species to inhibit or reduce their populations and to effectuate restoration or reclamation efforts4 7b7 ,strategic plan ,the ,secretary concerned shall develop a strategic plan for the implementation of the invasive species program of that ,secretary to endeavor to achieve an annual five percent net reduction of invasive species populations on lands managed by that ,secretary4 #d4 ,program funding allocations 7a7 ,control and management activities ,of the amount appropriated or otherwise made available to the ,secretary concerned for a fiscal year for programs that address or include invasive species management1 the ,secretary concerned shall use not less than #ge percent of the amount for on-the-ground control and management of invasive species1 including through-- 7#a7 the purchase of necessary products1 equipment1 or services to conduct such control and management2 7#b7 the use of integrated pest management options1 including pesticides authorized for sale1 distribution1 or use under the ,federal ,insecticide1 ,fungicide1 and ,rodenticide ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #acf et seq472 7#c7 the use of biological control agents that are proven to be effective to reduce invasive species populations2 7#d7 the use of re-vegetation or cultural restoration methods designed to improve the diversity and richness of ecosystems2 or 7#e7 the use of other effective mechanical or manual control method4 7b7 ,investigations1 outreach1 and public awareness ,of the amount appropriated or otherwise made available to the ,secretary concerned for a fiscal year for programs that address or include invasive species management1 the ,secretary concerned may use not more than #ae percent of the amount for investigations1 development activities1 and outreach and public awareness efforts to address invasive species control and management needs4 7c7 ,administrative costs ,of the amount appropriated or otherwise made available to the ,secretary concerned for a fiscal year for programs that address or include invasive species management1 not more than #aj percent may be used for administrative costs incurred to carry out such programs1 including costs related to oversight and management of such programs1 recordkeeping1 and implementation of the strategic plan4 7d7 ,reporting requirements ,not later than #fj days after the end of the second fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary concerned shall submit to ,congress a report-- 7#a7 describing the use by that ,secretary during the preceding two fiscal years of funds for programs that address or include invasive species management2 and 7#b7 specifying the percentage of funds expended for each of the purposes specified in subsections 7a71 7b71 and 7c74 #e4 ,prudent use of funds 7a7 ,cost-,effective methods ,in selecting the method or methods to be used to control or manage an invasive species as part of a specific control or management project1 the ,secretary concerned shall require the use of the least costly options based on sound scientific data and other commonly used cost-effective benchmarks in the area to effectively control and manage invasive species4 7b7 ,comparative economic assessment ,the ,secretary concerned shall require a comparative economic assessment of invasive species control and management methods to be conducted to comply with subsection 7a74 7c7 ,categorical exclusion ,if an invasive species control or management project or activity to be conducted on lands directly managed by the ,secretary concerned will be conducted in a prioritized1 high-risk area involving the treatment of land or waterways within #a1jjj feet of a water body or waterway1 a water project1 a utility or telephone infrastructure or right of way1 a railroad line1 an airport1 a port of entry1 campground1 roadside or highway1 heritage site1 a national monument1 a park1 recreation site1 school1 or other similar and valuable infrastructure1 as determined by the ,secretary concerned1 the project or activity is categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement under the ,national ,environmental ,policy ,act of #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq47 so long as the ,secretary concerned determines that the project or activity is otherwise conducted consistently with agency procedures1 including any land and resource management plan or land use plan applicable to the area covered by the project or activity4 7d7 ,relation to other authority 7#a7 ,other invasive species control1 prevention1 or management authorities ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to preclude the ,secretary concerned from pursuing or supporting1 under the authority of any other provision of law1 activities regarding the control1 prevention1 or management of invasive species1 including investigations to better control1 prevent1 or manage invasive species4 7#b7 ,public water supply systems ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to authorize the ,secretary concerned to suspend water deliveries or diversions or otherwise prevent the operation of a public water supply system as a measure to control1 manage1 or prevent the introduction or spread of invasive species4 #f4 ,use of partnerships 7a7 ,partnerships authorized ,the ,secretary concerned may enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with another ,federal agency1 an eligible ,state1 a political subdivision of an eligible ,state1 or a private entity to partner with the ,secretary concerned and assist with the control and management of invasive species4 7b7 ,memorandum of understanding 7#a7 ,required ,as a condition of a contract or cooperative agreement under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary concerned and the other ,federal agency1 eligible ,state1 political subdivision of an eligible ,state1 or private entity involved shall enter into a memorandum of understanding describing the nature of the partnership between the parties and the control and management activities to be conducted4 7#b7 ,contents ,the memorandum of understanding shall contain1 at a minimum1 the following3 7,a7 ,a prioritized listing of invasive species to be controlled or managed4 7,b7 ,an assessment of the total acres or area infested by the invasive species4 7,c7 ,an estimate of the expected total acres or area infested by the invasive species after control and management of the invasive species is attempted4 7,d7 ,the specific integrated pest management option or options to be used1 including a comparative economic assessment to determine the least costly method4 7,e7 ,any maps1 boundaries1 or ,global ,positioning ,system 7,,gps7 coordinates needed to clearly identify the area in which the control and management activities are to be conducted4 7,f7 ,written assurances that the partner will comply with section #ae of the ,federal ,noxious ,weed ,act of #aigd 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bhad74 7c7 ,coordination ,if the partner in a contract or cooperative agreement under subsection 7a7 is an eligible ,state1 political subdivision of an eligible ,state1 or private entity1 the memorandum of understanding shall also contain a description of how the control and management efforts will be coordinated and the expected outcomes of managing and controlling the invasive species4 7d7 ,public outreach and awareness efforts ,if a contract or cooperative agreement under subsection 7a7 will involve any outreach and public awareness efforts1 the memorandum of understanding shall also contain a list of goals and objectives for such outreach and public awareness efforts that have been determined will be efficient to inform national1 ,state1 regional1 or local audiences regarding invasive species control and management4 7e7 ,investigations ,any invasive species-related investigations undertaken under a contract or cooperative agreement under subsection 7a7 shall be undertaken for the purpose of-- 7#a7 developing solutions and specific recommendations for control and management of invasive species2 and 7#b7 specifically providing faster implementation of control and management methods4