GIANT SALVINIA: HOW DO WE PROTECT OUR ECOSYSTEMS? OVERSIGHT FIELD HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES, WILDLIFE, OCEANS AND INSULAR AFFAIRS OF THE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION Monday, June 27, 2011, in Shreveport, Louisiana Serial No. 112-47 Printed for the use of the Committee on Natural Resources ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov or Committee address: http://naturalresources.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 67-320 PDF WASHINGTON : 2011 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 11:29 Oct 24, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 L:\DOCS\67320.TXT Hresour1 PsN: KATHY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES DOC HASTINGS, WA, Chairman EDWARD J. MARKEY, MA, Ranking Democrat Member Don Young, AK Dale E. Kildee, MI John J. Duncan, Jr., TN Peter A. DeFazio, OR Louie Gohmert, TX Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, AS Rob Bishop, UT Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ Doug Lamborn, CO Grace F. Napolitano, CA Robert J. Wittman, VA Rush D. Holt, NJ Paul C. Broun, GA Rau´ l M. Grijalva, AZ John Fleming, LA Madeleine Z. Bordallo, GU Mike Coffman, CO Jim Costa, CA Tom McClintock, CA Dan Boren, OK Glenn Thompson, PA Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, CNMI Jeff Denham, CA Martin Heinrich, NM Dan Benishek, MI Ben Ray Luja´n, NM David Rivera, FL John P. Sarbanes, MD Jeff Duncan, SC Betty Sutton, OH Scott R. Tipton, CO Niki Tsongas, MA Paul A. Gosar, AZ Pedro R. Pierluisi, PR Rau´ l R. Labrador, ID John Garamendi, CA Kristi L. Noem, SD Colleen W. Hanabusa, HI Steve Southerland II, FL Vacancy Bill Flores, TX Andy Harris, MD Jeffrey M. Landry, LA Charles J. ‘‘Chuck’’ Fleischmann, TN Jon Runyan, NJ Bill Johnson, OH Todd Young, Chief of Staff Lisa Pittman, Chief Counsel Jeffrey Duncan, Democrat Staff Director David Watkins, Democrat Chief Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES, WILDLIFE, OCEANS AND INSULAR AFFAIRS JOHN FLEMING, LA, Chairman GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, CNMI, Ranking Democrat Member Don Young, AK Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, AS Robert J. Wittman, VA Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ Jeff Duncan, SC Madeleine Z. Bordallo, GU Steve Southerland, II, FL Pedro R. Pierluisi, PR Bill Flores, TX Colleen W. Hanabusa, HI Andy Harris, MD Vacancy Jeffrey M. Landry, LA Edward J. Markey, MA, ex officio Jon Runyan, NJ Doc Hastings, WA, ex officio (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 11:29 Oct 24, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 L:\DOCS\67320.TXT Hresour1 PsN: KATHY CONTENTS Page Hearing held on Monday, June 27, 2011 ............................................................... 1 Statement of Members: Fleming, Hon. John, a Representative in Congress from the State of Louisiana ....................................................................................................... 1 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 3 Gohmert, Hon. Louie, a Representative in Congress from the State of Texas .............................................................................................................. 4 Statement of Witnesses: Barham, Hon. Robert, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries ........................................................................................................ 16 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 18 Burns, Hon. Henry L., State Representative, 9th District, Louisiana House of Representatives ............................................................................. 14 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 16 Grodowitz, Michael J., Ph.D., Research Entomologist, Engineer Research and Development Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, Mississippi ..................................................................................................... 23 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 25 Lowerre, Richard, President, Caddo Lake Institute ...................................... 59 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 61 Massimi, Michael, Invasive Species Coordinator, Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program ........................................................................... 52 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 54 Melinchuk, Ross, Deputy Executive Director, Natural Resources, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ................................................................... 20 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 22 Sanders, Dr. Dearl, Edmiston Professor and Resident Coordinator, Bob R. Jones Idlewild Research Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center ....................................................................................... 47 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 48 Trandahl, Jeffrey, Executive Director, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ..................................................................................................... 64 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 65 Waitt, Damon E., Ph.D., Senior Director and Botanist, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin ..................................... 68 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 70 Ward, Kenneth L., Project Manager, Department of Public Works, Parish of Caddo, Louisiana ...................................................................................... 56 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 58 Westbrooks, Dr. Randy G., Invasive Species Prevention Specialist, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior .................................. 28 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 29 Additional materials supplied: Adley, Hon. Robert, State Senator, Senate District 36, State of Louisiana, Statement submitted for the record ............................................................ 13 Altimus, William R., Bossier Parish Police Jury District 9, Statement submitted for the record ............................................................................... 82 Cypress Valley Navigation District, Marshall, Texas, ‘‘Giant Salvinia Response Program’’ dated June 1, 2011, submitted for the record ........... 83 Hanson, Gary M., Director, Red River Watershed Management Institute, Louisiana State University Shreveport ....................................................... 9 Hughes, Hon. Bryan, State Representative, 5th District, Texas House of Representatives, Letter submitted for the record .................................. 6 Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Statement submitted for the record ............................................................................... 6 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 11:29 Oct 24, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 L:\DOCS\67320.TXT Hresour1 PsN: KATHY VerDate Nov 24 2008 11:29 Oct 24, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 L:\DOCS\67320.TXT Hresour1 PsN: KATHY OVERSIGHT HEARING ON ‘‘GIANT SALVINIA: HOW DO WE PROTECT OUR ECOSYSTEMS?’’ Monday, June 27, 2011 U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs Committee on Natural Resources Shreveport, Louisiana The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., in the University Center Theater, Campus of LSU-Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, Hon. John Fleming [Chairman of the Subcommittee] Presiding. Present: Representatives Fleming and Gohmert. Dr. FLEMING. OK. I want to thank everyone today for spending their Monday morning with us on this very important hearing. We’re going to start the day as we do every day in Washington, and that’s with a prayer, so I’d ask Pastor Chad Mills to come for- ward and lead us in prayer. He’s from Oil City First Baptist Church. Rev. MILLS. Would you join me as I pray? [Prayer.] Dr. FLEMING. Thank you. Next we have the Boy Scouts coming forward to present the colors. COLOR GUARD LEADER. If everyone will stand. [Colors presented.] [Pledge of Allegiance.] STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN FLEMING, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA Dr. FLEMING. Be seated. The Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wild- life, Oceans and Insular Affairs will come to order. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Louisiana State University’s Shreveport campus. I am pleased to be hosting this congressional hearing with my good friend and colleague from Tyler, Texas, Congressman Louie Gohmert. We both want to thank LSU for allowing us to utilize this beau- tiful auditorium and for all the assistance we’ve received in making this important hearing come together. Now, I intend to conduct this hearing as if it were in Washington, DC. This is not a town hall meeting. The way we do hearings in Washington are through a very tightly scripted format, a very formal kind of format. (1) VerDate Nov