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Refuge Ecology Protection, Assistance, and Immediate Response Act

To protect, conserve, and restore native fish, wildlife, and their natural habitats at national wildlife refuges through cooperative, incentive-based grants to control, mitigate, and eradicate harmful nonnative species, and for other purposes.

10/22/2007--Passed House amended. Refugee Ecology Protection, Assistance, and Immediate Response Act - (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide under the Refuge Ecology Protection, Assistance, and Immediate Response Grant Program or the REPAIR Program (established by th more...is Act): (1) a grant to any eligible applicant to carry out a qualified control project to control harmful nonnative species; and (2) a grant to any state to carry out an assessment project to identify harmful nonnative species, assess the needs to restore, manage, or enhance native fish, wildlife and habitats, identify priorities, and identify mechanisms to increase capacity building for native fish, wildlife, and habitats. Requires the Secretary to consult with the Invasive Species Advisory Committee: (1) on the projects proposed for such grants, including the scientific merit, technical merit, feasibility, and priority of proposed projects; and (2) regarding the development of a database concerning control projects carried out with such grants. Requires the Invasive Species Advisory Committee to: (1) consult with the Secretary on the creation of criteria and guidelines for such grants; (2) consult with the Secretary regarding whether proposed control projects are qualified control projects, as determined under this Act; and (3) carry out functions relating to the monitoring of control projects, as specified. Specifies that eligible applicants for grants to carry out qualified control projects shall: (1) be a state, local government, interstate or regional agency, university, or private person; (2) have adequate personnel, funding, and authority to carry out and monitor or maintain a control project; and (3) have entered into an agreement with the Secretary or the Secretary's designee for a national wildlife refuge or refuge complex. Sets forth requirements for determining the selection of qualified control projects, including the ranking of such projects. Instructs the Secretary, in making grants for such control projects, to ensure: (1) a balance of smaller and larger projects conducted; and (2) an equitable geographic distribution of projects carried out among all regions and states within which such projects are proposed to be conducted. Sets forth requirements for: (1) the duration and renewal of grants; (2) reporting by grantees carrying out control and assessment projects; and (3) federal and non-federal cost sharing for such projects. Provides that the federal share of the cost of the portion of a control project that is carried out on national wildlife refuge lands or waters shall be 100%, including the cost of acquisition by the federal government of land or waters for use for such a project. Requires the Secretary, by not later than three years after enactment of this Act, and biennially thereafter as specified, to report to the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on the implementation of such Program. Requires that such reports include an assessment of specified, data, trends, and reviews concerning the control projects carried out under this Act. Bars the Secretary from making a grant for a control project on national wildlife refuge lands or lands in proximity to refuge resources before a non-federal interest has entered into a written agreement with a national wildlife refuge or refuge complex under which the non-federal interest agrees to: (1) monitor and maintain the control project according to the plan required by this Act; and (2) provide any other items of cooperation the Secretary considers necessary to carry out the project. (Sec. 5) Authorizes the Secretary to provide financial assistance for a fiscal year to enable an immediate response to outbreaks of harmful nonnative species that threaten or may negatively impact refuge resources that are at a stage at which rapid eradication or control is possible, and to ensure eradication or immediate control of such species. Requires the provision of such assistance with the concurrence of the governor of the state, to local and state agencies, universities, or nongovernmental entities for the eradication of an immediate harmful nonnative species threat only under specified conditions, including that the proposed response to such threat minimizes adverse impacts to the structure and function of national wildlife refuge ecosystems and adverse effects on nontarget species. Provides that the federal share of the cost of any activity carried out with such assistance shall be 100%. Requires recipients of such assistance to monitor and report on activities carried out with such assistance in accordance with the requirements applicable respecting control projects carried out with grant assistance under this Act. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary, consistent with the National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998, to establish a cooperative volunteer harmful nonnative species monitoring and control program to administer and coordinate projects implemented by partner organizations concerned with national wildlife refuges to address such species that threaten national wildlife refuges or adjacent lands. Requires each project administered and coordinated to include one of the following activities: (1) habitat surveys; (2) detection and identification of new introductions or infestations of harmful nonnative species; (3) harmful nonnative species control projects; or (4) public education and outreach to increase awareness concerning such species and their threat to the refuge system.
(Sec. 7) Specifies this Act's effect with respect to: (1) other authorities, responsibilities, obligations, or powers of the Secretary under any other statute; and (2) preemption of any provision or enforcement of a state's statute or regulation relating to management of fish and wildlife resources.
(Sec. 8) Requires the Secretary to submit biennial reports summarizing all grant activities relating to invasive species initiated under this Act.
(Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations. Prohibits: (1) of amounts appropriated for carrying out this Act, not more than 25% from being available in any fiscal year for financial assistance under section 5 of this Act; and (2) the expenditure, of amounts available per fiscal year to carry out this Act, of not more than 3% or up to $100,000, whichever is greater, for paying necessary administrative expenses. THOMAS Home | Contact | Accessibility | Legal | FirstGov

Sponsor

• Rep. Ronald Kind [D, WI-3]
• and 20 Co-Sponsors
  • Rep. Madeleine Bordallo [D, GU-0]
  • Rep. Dan Boren [D, OK-2]
  • Rep. F. Allen Boyd [D, FL-2]
  • Rep. Michael Castle [R, DE-0]
  • Rep. John Conyers [D, MI-14]
  • Rep. Vernon Ehlers [R, MI-3]
  • Rep. Sam Farr [D, CA-17]
  • Rep. Luis Fortuno [R, PR-0]
  • Rep. Wayne Gilchrest [R, MD-1]
  • Rep. Louis Gohmert [R, TX-1]
  • Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin [D, SD-0]
  • Rep. Frank LoBiondo [R, NJ-2]
  • Rep. Thaddeus McCotter [R, MI-11]
  • Rep. Grace Napolitano [D, CA-38]
  • Rep. Solomon Ortiz [D, TX-27]
  • Rep. Donald Payne [D, NJ-10]
  • Rep. H. James Saxton [R, NJ-3]
  • Rep. Christopher Shays [R, CT-4]
  • Rep. C. Michael Thompson [D, CA-1]
  • Rep. Timothy Walz [D, MN-1]
  close

Committees

• Senate Energy and Natural Resources
• 3 more
  • Senate Environment and Public Works
  • House Natural Resources
  • House Natural Resources
  close

Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to H.R.767

Number	Status	Purpose

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Bill Status

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Introduced		Voted on by House		Voted on by Senate		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
January 31, 2007		October 22, 2007

Related Issue Areas:

• Public lands
• Animal pests
• Animals
• Budgets
• 28 more
• Business
• Congressional reporting requirements
• Cost effectiveness
• Data banks
• Ecosystem management
• Endangered species
• Environmental assessment
• Environmental monitoring
• Environmental protection
• Executive departments
• Federal advisory bodies
• Fishes
• Government information
• Government paperwork
• Grants-in-aid
• Habitat conservation
• Natural resources
• Non-native species
• Pest control
• Public-private partnerships
• Restoration ecology
• Social services
• Technological innovations
• Technology
• Volunteer workers
• Wildlife conservation
• Wildlife management
• Wildlife refuges

In the News

October 24, 2007 USA. House Passes Bill to curb invasive species devastating ...

... or REPAIR Act (HR 767), that will direct federal resources to states to help eradicate invasive species that are devastating many wildlife refuges. ...

Source: BYM News (press release), Spain
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September 21, 2007 Democratic Presidential Candidate Kucinich Issues Statement ...

"I am the co-author of legislation (HR 767) establishing a national, not- for profit health insurance system that would cover all Americans, ...

Source: Insurance News Net, PA
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September 20, 2007 Democratic Presidential Candidate Kucinich Issues Statement ...

"I am the co-author of legislation (HR 767) establishing a national, not- for profit health insurance system that would cover all Americans, ...

Source: Earthtimes.org
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Blog Coverage

April 30, 2008 Eradicate

Cancer cells are showing up in our bodies all the time, but because we have healthy immune systems, they are eradicating cancer cells before we even know they are there," The REPAIR Act (HR 767) has been making its way quietly through ...

Source: Beverly Hills Ninja
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April 27, 2008 WI rep tries to shoot cats from a federal bill since it failed in ...

Introduced by Representative Ron Kind (D-Wisconsin), HR 767 is titled the Refuge Ecology Protection, Assistance, and Immediate Response Act, or REPAIR Act. The purpose of the bill is "to protect, conserve, and restore native fish, ...

Source: Green Consciousness
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April 21, 2008 SAVE OUR WILD HORSES -SAY NO TO HR 767 as is - PETITION

The REPAIR Act (HR 767) has been making its way quietly through the US Congress. The stated goal of the bill is to eradicate harmful nonnative species from federal wildlife refuges. This could have dramatic consequences for wild horses ...

Source: Care2 News Network - Newly Submitted
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