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One of my senators is on the committee that will discuss S373. The other is not. I did write to both of them, however. Haven't heard back from the one on the committee, but I did hear back from the other...
"Dear Mr. DeLange:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about legislation that would restrict importation of nonnative invasive species into the United States.
Legislation entitled the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act would stop the future spread of invasive animal species that can threaten local ecosystems, negatively impact the health of other animals, and cause severe economic losses. The bill would establish guidelines for the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a risk assessment study evaluating nonnative wildlife species and their possible negative, unintended impacts on our native ecosystem. This assessment would result in a list of approved and unapproved species that could be imported into the United States. This legislation would only apply to wildlife imported into our country and would not affect animals currently owned by individuals and families.
This legislation is being considered in the House of Representatives but has not yet been introduced in the Senate. Should this legislation be considered by the Senate, I will keep your views in mind. Thank you again for being in touch with me.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
United States Senator"
here is my response to HIS response... I'll let you know when I hear back...
"Senator Brown,
I recently wrote to you regarding S373, also called 'The Python Ban.'
While I appreciate the rapid response, I was a little disappointed by it's content. I did not feel you addressed, or even understood, my concerns fully. I would like to be able to more fully explain the situation, whether this be via email or telephone. I would prefer a phone call, even if it is from one of your assistants, but I will go ahead and explain further here.
The Non-Native Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act (HR669) to which you referred in your response was a bill that would have IMMEDIATELY banned ANY species not native to the US, regardless of the potential (or lack there-of) for establishment. As of this past summer, that bill died in subcommittee due to being very poorly written and over-reaching.
S373, on the other hand, only addresses Pythons. However, there has also been pressure by supporters to ammend the bill to include Boa Constrictors. This particular bill would add Pythons (and, if ammended, Boa Constrictors) to the Lacey Act, bypassing the scientifically-based assessment process normally used to add species to the list established by the Lacey Act. For support, proponents of S373 rely on two reports issued by the USGS that claim the Burmese python, among others, has the potential to spread and become established throughout the southern 1/3 of the US.
Recently, the USGS studies have been discredited by a group of herpetologist and biologists who specialize in reptiles.
Another, much more thorough study, published by reseachers from the City University of New York, directly contradicts the claims made in the USGS studies. This study shows that the Burmese Python cannot, in fact, become established any farther north than the Everglades National Park, and DOES NOT pose a threat to any other ecosystems. *
In summary, S373 is an attempt to use the legislative process to circumvent the already-established scientific process to protect native environments from non-native species. S373 is NOT based on sound scientific practices and would needlessly destroy hundreds of thousands of small businesses and many more jobs. The problem with the Burmese Python is isolated to Florida, and thus should not be addressed at a Federal level.*
If S373 survives the stage it is in right now, I would urge you to vote NO on this baseless, unscientific, needless legislation.*
Thank you for taking the time to address my concerns.*
Respectfully,
Chris DeLange"
"Dear Mr. DeLange:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about legislation that would restrict importation of nonnative invasive species into the United States.
Legislation entitled the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act would stop the future spread of invasive animal species that can threaten local ecosystems, negatively impact the health of other animals, and cause severe economic losses. The bill would establish guidelines for the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a risk assessment study evaluating nonnative wildlife species and their possible negative, unintended impacts on our native ecosystem. This assessment would result in a list of approved and unapproved species that could be imported into the United States. This legislation would only apply to wildlife imported into our country and would not affect animals currently owned by individuals and families.
This legislation is being considered in the House of Representatives but has not yet been introduced in the Senate. Should this legislation be considered by the Senate, I will keep your views in mind. Thank you again for being in touch with me.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
United States Senator"
here is my response to HIS response... I'll let you know when I hear back...
"Senator Brown,
I recently wrote to you regarding S373, also called 'The Python Ban.'
While I appreciate the rapid response, I was a little disappointed by it's content. I did not feel you addressed, or even understood, my concerns fully. I would like to be able to more fully explain the situation, whether this be via email or telephone. I would prefer a phone call, even if it is from one of your assistants, but I will go ahead and explain further here.
The Non-Native Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act (HR669) to which you referred in your response was a bill that would have IMMEDIATELY banned ANY species not native to the US, regardless of the potential (or lack there-of) for establishment. As of this past summer, that bill died in subcommittee due to being very poorly written and over-reaching.
S373, on the other hand, only addresses Pythons. However, there has also been pressure by supporters to ammend the bill to include Boa Constrictors. This particular bill would add Pythons (and, if ammended, Boa Constrictors) to the Lacey Act, bypassing the scientifically-based assessment process normally used to add species to the list established by the Lacey Act. For support, proponents of S373 rely on two reports issued by the USGS that claim the Burmese python, among others, has the potential to spread and become established throughout the southern 1/3 of the US.
Recently, the USGS studies have been discredited by a group of herpetologist and biologists who specialize in reptiles.
Another, much more thorough study, published by reseachers from the City University of New York, directly contradicts the claims made in the USGS studies. This study shows that the Burmese Python cannot, in fact, become established any farther north than the Everglades National Park, and DOES NOT pose a threat to any other ecosystems. *
In summary, S373 is an attempt to use the legislative process to circumvent the already-established scientific process to protect native environments from non-native species. S373 is NOT based on sound scientific practices and would needlessly destroy hundreds of thousands of small businesses and many more jobs. The problem with the Burmese Python is isolated to Florida, and thus should not be addressed at a Federal level.*
If S373 survives the stage it is in right now, I would urge you to vote NO on this baseless, unscientific, needless legislation.*
Thank you for taking the time to address my concerns.*
Respectfully,
Chris DeLange"
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