Wayne Gilchrest: “Madam Speaker, H.R. 3479, the Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradication Act of 2004, introduced by the distinguished…”

“Madam Speaker, H.R. 3479, the Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradication Act of 2004, introduced by the distinguished gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo), has wide support. This particular species, the brown tree snake, has been an awful nemesis on Guam for 50 years. It has virtually eradicated all of the local bird population that nests on the ground. It has been a problem for many decades, and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) has been relentless to bring that to our attention to do something about it. This particular bill offers a number of approaches and solutions. It broadens the level of Federal involvement and research in the brown tree snake programs in Guam. It requires the establishment of predeparture quarantine protocols so the brown tree snake does not go anywhere else in the South Pacific. It declares that the brown tree snake is nonmaleable, thank goodness for that; clarifies the role of the brown tree snake technical working group, and authorized an enhanced level of Federal financial assistance.”