Washington, DC –
U.S.
Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, today praised Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar for moving closer to prohibiting the importation and interstate transportation of the Burmese python and eight other large constrictor snakes that threaten sensitive ecosystems by listing the species as “injurious wildlife” under the Lacey Act.

“I am pleased to see Secretary Salazar’s announcement that the Department of the Interior has proposed listing the nine species of giant constrictor snakes that the U.S. Geological Service has found threaten the health of some of our most treasured native landscapes and wildlife. 
Invasive species like these pose serious threats to native species across the country and can have a severe impact on America’s natural ecosystems, as well as our agriculture, economy and human health,”
Senator Cardin said.
 

As chairman of the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, Senator Cardin has worked with Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) to focus S. 373 – a bill to amend title 18, U.S. Code, to include constrictor snakes – on only those species that pose the most serious threats to our native ecosystems. Senator Cardin chaired a legislative hearing in December and a more extensive hearing in July to examine the threats of invasive species and to examine programs designed to manage the threats.

“Because of the dramatic testimony and evidence before my subcommittee on the dangers these snakes pose, I have worked with Senator Nelson on legislation to prevent the import and trade of these snakes.  But it is important that the Department of Interior continue its traditional listing process so that we can be sure our communities and wild places will receive the protection they deserve,”
Senator Cardin said.