HR 669 Michigan Response

[Emmastaff]

This is the response I got today from my rep. Candice Miller of Michigan Sounds like she is pro-H.R. 669 doesn't it? The thing is, were zebra mussels introduced to Michigan as pets that were released? ....

Thank you for contacting my office regarding the issue of the Nonnative Wildlife Invasive Prevention Act, H.R. 669. I appreciate hearing from you on this critical topic, and, as always, I am pleased for the opportunity to respond to my constituents.



The Nonnative Wildlife Invasive Prevention Act assesses the risk of all species that are not native to the United States being considered for importation into our country. If this Act were implemented, all nonnative species, except those on a preapproved list, would be evaluated based on a certain criteria, such as: whether the species causes hurt to the economy, the environment, other animal species or human health. The range of the species and likelihood that it would spread throughout the United States would also be evaluated.



One of my goals since I have come to public office is to protect the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are one of our national treasures and they help to define a way of life for Michigan. The lakes help drive Michigan's industries, bring tourism to our state, and allow Michiganders to spend their leisure time enjoying recreation sports, such as boating.



The Great Lakes are an invaluable resource to Michigan. However, they are constantly under threat. One of the greatest threats facing the Great Lakes are invasive species that wreak havoc on the Lakes' delicate ecosystem. Invasive species pose a serious problem to the Great Lakes because, among other things, they kill off the Lakes' native species. Food sources and habitats that fish rely upon have been ruined by invasive species causing native species of fish to disappear.



In addition to devastating the Lakes' native populations, invasive species like the zebra muscle, have caused devastating economic effects. Water intake pipes necessary to businesses, including nuclear plants, are destroyed because of this invasive species. They also cause damages to recreational water crafts that cost are expensive to fix.I will continue to work through the legislative process to protect our environment from the threat of invasive species.



Again, thank you for your correspondence regarding this important issue. I will continue working with my colleagues to represent the best interests of the citizens of Michigan's 10th District. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office. For other statements and press releases regarding this issue and others, you may visit my website at http://candicemiller.house.gov.

[Ben Biscy]

he has a point. the muscles and carp are a really big issue, and are most certainly changing the ecological chain of events in US rivers and lakes. i've fished lake michigan, both in the past and not long ago. the increase of carp is scary, and the muscle shells littered the beach (great lakes NTC, IL).

remember that hr669 is not just referring to reptiles, but ALL invasive species. you kinda have to take your argument from the perspective that the bill COULD be a good thing in several ways, although it leaves room for devastation to our hobby/ies.

[JandDReptiles]

Though it is a good point, when HR669 was in the hearing, another good point was mentioned. Though they introduction of more invasive species must be stopped, they population of current ones cannot be! As long as there is a large group of males and females the invasive species will continue to be there. HR669 would make sure that no other invasive species wwere introduced, but will that really solve the problem. There is also thing called the underground market, and those who use it are usually the creators of the issues that are threatening our markets!

The Senate knows nothing about the markets, and the good people in it, they only see headlines which are 99.9% of the time BAD! So they base stuff on what they see and hear.

Sorry if I seem a bit harsh here, I just get really mifft at these proposed Bills.

[catawhat75]

A response that a client of my received:

Dear Mr. R,
Thank you very much for your response to my letter concerning the Non-Native Invasive Species Act. I am happy to clarify your concerns that you raise about the bill.

First and foremost, an animal already in the possession of an owner would not be affected by this legislation; animals will not be sent out of the country. For citizens who wish to import exotic animals as a pet, the bill would establish a risk assessment process to screen non-native animals before they are imported to the United States. If the Fish and Wildlife Service finds that a species poses no significant threat to the environment, it would be placed on the approved list for importation. This means that countless animals including domesticated dogs, cats, rabbits, goldfish and horses would be exempted from importation restrictions. It also gives the Fish and Wildlife Service the flexibility to add other animals after a determination of environmental safety.

The Non-Native Invasion Species Act would have no impact on the trade of domesticated animals. Any nonnative wild animal species could continue to be imported and traded if it was evaluated to pose no threat to people, the economy, or the environment. Much of the pet trade will be unaffected by the bill, and furthermore, the evaluation process created by the bill will take more than three years to come into effect, giving the pet industry time to any potential changes.

Thank you very much for contacting me with your concerns regarding the Non Native Species Invasion Act. I hope this letter cleared up some of your questions about the bill.

Sincerely,
Mary Jo Kilroy

[JandDReptiles]

This is the common response, and it is fairly correct, BUT, it also means that if you wanted a ball python, your request for importation, or sale would take FOREVER to be processed, and may be denied. So buying a ball python now takes about 5 mins, if this happens getting a BP in general may take weeks!

I'd personally like to hear from the people making the approved list of hundreds of thousdands if not millions of species of animal that would need to be approved or denied..... so what is to happen during the time the lists are made up... the market just wont hault.

[Emmastaff]

The thing that I disagree with, as far as using zebra mussels as an example, is that they were not a result of the pet trade, or even intentional importation.
From the website http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/flor...ve/zebra.html:
They are believed to have been transported to the Great Lakes via ballast water from a transoceanic vessel. The ballast water, taken on in a freshwater European port was subsequently discharged into Lake St. Clair, near Detroit, where the mussel was discovered in 1988. Since that time, they have spread rapidly to all of the Great Lakes and waterways in many states, as well as Ontario and Quebec.

So basically, this bill would do nothing to stop the unintentional, but accidental introduction of species such as zebra mussels that no one realized were even taking a voyage on that vessel. It isn't like someone knowingly imported them into the country and then released them. So her argument just doesn't seem to fit with the bill if you ask me?