§8503. Brown tree snake control, interdiction, research and eradication

(a) Funding authority

Subject to the availability of appropriations to carry out this section, the Secretaries shall provide funds to support brown tree snake control, interdiction, research, and eradication efforts carried out by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, other Federal agencies, States, territorial governments, local governments, and private sector entities. Funds may be provided through grants, contracts, reimbursable agreements, or other legal mechanisms available to the Secretaries for the transfer of Federal funds.

(b) Authorized activities

Brown tree snake control, interdiction, research, and eradication efforts authorized by this section shall include at a minimum the following:

(1) Expansion of science-based eradication and control programs in Guam to reduce the undesirable impact of the brown tree snake in Guam and reduce the risk of the introduction or spread of any brown tree snake to areas in the United States and the Freely Associated States in which the brown tree snake is not established.

(2) Expansion of interagency and intergovernmental rapid response teams in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Hawaii, and the Freely Associated States to assist the governments of such areas with detecting the brown tree snake and incipient brown tree snake populations.

(3) Expansion of efforts to protect and restore native wildlife in Guam or elsewhere in the United States damaged by the brown tree snake.

(4) Establishment and sustained funding for an Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Operations Program State Office located in Hawaii dedicated to vertebrate pest management in Hawaii and United States Pacific territories and possessions. Concurrently, the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services Operations Program shall establish and sustain funding for a District Office in Guam dedicated to brown tree snake control and managed by the Hawaii State Office.

(5) Continuation, expansion, and provision of sustained research funding related to the brown tree snake, including research conducted at institutions located in areas affected by the brown tree snake.

(6) Continuation, expansion, and provision of sustained research funding for the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center of the Department of Agriculture related to the brown tree snake, including the establishment of a field station in Guam related to the control and eradication of the brown tree snake.

(7) Continuation, expansion, and provision of sustained research funding for the Fort Collins Science Center of the United States Geological Survey related to the brown tree snake, including the establishment of a field station in Guam related to the control and eradication of the brown tree snake.

(8) Expansion of long-term research into chemical, biological, and other control techniques that could lead to large-scale reduction of brown tree snake populations in Guam or other areas where the brown tree snake might become established.

(9) Expansion of short, medium, and long-term research, funded by all Federal agencies interested in or affected by the brown tree snake, into interdiction, detection, and early control of the brown tree snake.

(10) Provision of planning assistance for the construction or renovation of centralized multi-agency facilities in Guam to support Federal, State, and territorial brown tree snake control, interdiction, research and eradication efforts, including office space, laboratory space, animal holding facilities, and snake detector dog kennels.

(11) Provision of technical assistance to the Freely Associated States on matters related to the brown tree snake through the mechanisms contained within a Compact of Free Association dealing with environmental, quarantine, economic, and human health issues.

(c) Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretaries to carry out this section (other than subsection (b)(10)) the following amounts:

(1) For activities conducted through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Operations, not more than $2,600,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.

(2) For activities conducted through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Methods Development, not more than $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.

(3) For activities conducted through the Office of Insular Affairs, not more than $3,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.

(4) For activities conducted through the Fish and Wildlife Service, not more than $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.

(5) For activities conducted through the United States Geological Survey, Biological Resources, not more than $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.

(d) Planning assistance

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior such amounts as may be required to carry out subsection (b)(10).

( Pub. L. 108–384, §4, Oct. 30, 2004, 118 Stat. 2222 .)

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Control and Eradication of Brown Tree Snakes

Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title III, §316, Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4410 , provided that: "The Secretary of Defense shall establish a comprehensive program to control and, to the extent practicable, eradicate the brown tree snake population from military facilities in Guam and to ensure that military activities, including the transport of civilian and military personnel and equipment to and from Guam, do not contribute to the spread of brown tree snakes."

Pub. L. 102–237, title X, §1013(a)–(c), Dec. 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 1901 , as amended by Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, §101(a) [title VII, §743], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681 , 2681-31, provided that:

"(a) In General.-The Secretary of Agriculture shall take such action as may be necessary to prevent the inadvertent introduction of brown tree snakes into other areas of the United States from Guam.

"(b) Introduction Into Hawaii.-The Secretary shall initiate a program to prevent the introduction of the brown tree snake into Hawaii from Guam. In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall consider the use of sniffer or tracking dogs, snake traps, and other preventative processes or devices at aircraft and vessel loading facilities on Guam, Hawaii, or intermediate sites serving as transportation points that could result in the introduction of brown tree snakes into Hawaii.

"(c) Authority.-The Secretary shall use the authority provided under the Federal Plant Pest Act (7 U.S.C. 150aa et seq.) to carry out subsections (a) and (b)."

Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title III, §348, Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1348 , provided that: "The Secretary of Defense shall take such action as may be necessary to prevent the inadvertent introduction of brown tree snakes from Guam to Hawaii in aircraft and vessels transporting personnel or cargo for the Department of Defense. In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall consider the use of sniffer or tracking dogs, snake traps, and other preventive processes or devices at aircraft and vessel loading facilities in Guam or Hawaii or at intermediate transit points for personnel or cargo transported between Guam and Hawaii."