Roland Gutierrez: “Mr. Chairman, today I intended to offer an amendment to provide funding to prevent the spread of a serious threat to our…”

“Mr. Chairman, today I intended to offer an amendment to provide funding to prevent the spread of a serious threat to our Nation's urban ecology. Action to stem the incursion of these pests is required immediately if we are to control and isolate this ecological hazard. Humans are not directly threatened by this insect; nevertheless, the flora that makes our communities livable and aesthetically pleasing places to inhabit is imperiled. The Asian Longhorn is a tree killer. The beetle prefers to gestate in the leafy, deciduous trees that line roads and avenues in urban and suburban neighborhoods. In killing our trees, the beetles implant their larvae in the bark of healthy trees. The larvae feeds off the tree's wood to grow, eventually felling their hosts, and then moving on to repeat this devastating cycle elsewhere. The ability of this insect to multiply and spread rapidly throughout our entire region is what makes the prompt action of our government, in conjunction with local authorities, so necessary. Currently, a 12-block area on Chicago's north side has been infected with the Asian Longhorn.”