Bill Text: NJ AR168 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges USDA and other federal agencies to support State efforts and fund solutions that reduce or eliminate the stink bug population.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-12-05 - Passed by the Assembly (76-3-0) [AR168 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-AR168-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman NELSON T. ALBANO
District 1 (Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Urges USDA and other federal agencies to support State efforts and fund solutions that reduce or eliminate the stink bug population.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the United States Department of Agriculture and any other relevant federal agencies to support State efforts and fund solutions to reduce or eliminate the brown marmorated stink bug population.
Whereas, The brown marmorated stink bug was first considered to be only a nuisance, but has since been identified as highly destructive to agriculture, especially considering the large population of these bugs now found in the State; and
Whereas, The bug was first found in 1996 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and has been multiplying exponentially ever since; and
Whereas, Currently 30 of the 50 United States have significant infestations, and New Jersey is one of those states with an active and vibrant agricultural component to its economy; and
Whereas, The insecticides commonly used to control agricultural pests have little effect on the brown marmorated stink bug; and
Whereas, Not being native to the United States, the brown marmorated stink bug has no known natural predator here, and identifying possible natural predators in Asia, where the bug is believed to have originated, is an intensive and costly process; and
Whereas, Insecticides have also been considered but they are too strong to be used inside homes where the stink bugs overwinter, continue to multiply, then emerge to further destroy plants, fruits, and vegetables in the spring, summer, and fall; and
Whereas, A working group of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Protection, Rutgers University Department of Entomology, and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Integrated Pest Management Program have been studying possible solutions to the current stink bug infestation, and they believe finding a natural predator and introducing it into the United States may be the best option; and
Whereas, The insecticides identified by the working group as solutions to try would still require federal action to allow an exemption for their use on the brown marmorated stink bug; and
Whereas, Funding for such endeavors may be available on the federal level and finding ways to effectively reduce or eliminate stink bug populations would benefit not only New Jersey but all of the 30 infested states; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The United States Department of Agriculture and any other relevant federal agencies are urged to support State efforts and fund solutions to reduce or eliminate the brown marmorated stink bug population, including, but not limited to, identifying a natural predator of the bug.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested to by the Clerk of the General Assembly, shall be transmitted to the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the President of Rutgers, The State University, the Chair of the Rutgers University Department of Entomology, and the Director of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Integrated Pest Management Program.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the United States Department of Agriculture and any other relevant federal agencies to support State efforts and fund solutions to reduce or eliminate the brown marmorated stink bug population, including, but not limited to, identifying a natural predator of the bug.
