Vito Fossella: “I would like to thank Mr. Kingston and Ms. DeLauro. And of course my colleagues, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Weiner, and Mr.…”

“I would like to thank Mr. Kingston and Ms. DeLauro. And of course my colleagues, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Weiner, and Mr. Nadler, because despite this being a national problem, as you can imagine, are very specific to New York, and in my case, Staten Island has been under attack by the Asian Longhorned Beetle. The beetles have already killed 8,400 trees. Officials are expected to destroy 10,000 trees to keep the beetle from spreading throughout the U.S. We know that 35 percent of all urban trees are at risk. Replacement value is $669 billion. The first evidence was found on a silver maple tree on March 22 by USDA tree climbers. This early detection gives hope the threat can be contained before it spreads to the nearby Greenbelt, which is an urban forest comparable to Rock Creek. The bill before us today provides a little over $20 million to help eradicate the beetle, a far cry from the $48 million the USDA says is needed annually. This a serious problem for Staten Island and the rest of New York City.”