Natural Resources Defense Council

Dr. Campbell's work involves plant conservation and government policy. She is particularly concerned about invasions by exotic plants into natural ecosystems. Campbell says that the US government wants scientific certainty before it defines what actions should be taken at both the policy and local site levels. The key issues are predictability, understanding the stages of invasions, and how things get out of control.

The government needs certainty because:

1. interest groups (plant nurseries, the pet industry, etc.) are negatively effected by increased restrictions on biota shipments between states and imports/exports;
2. the budget deficit makes Congress wary of spending money;
3. there is a basic inability to understand this issue, and bureaucratic inertia exists.

Do we need new legislation in this area, or would amendments to and/or better enforcement of existing legislation be sufficient? One possible course of action would be to amend the Federal Noxious Weed Act. Such an amendment could become a title of the farm bill. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) wants to amend the Noxious Weed Act to cover weeds spreading into natural areas, not just agricultural lands - a new view. Broad statutes have not proven to be workable in practice. The Aquatic Nuisance Species Act is very broad, and currently, not very effective. It involves many agencies that donŐt communicate effectively with each other and includes no money for the agencies to carry out their charges. The zebra mussel was the hot issue of the day in states represented by powerful members of Congress, so the Act passed, but itŐs not a particularly effective piece of legislation.