<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"arial",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"arial",sans-serif">Representative Eddie Day Pashinski</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"arial",sans-serif">Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Act
</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"open sans";color:black">Memo:</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"open sans";color:black">
</span></p>
<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"open sans";color:black">In
the near future, I will introduce legislation that would repeal the
Noxious Weed Control Law (Act 74 of 1982) and replace it with the
Controlled
Plant and Noxious Weed Act. This bill will take a proactive approach to
controlling existing and potentially noxious weeds, maximizing invasive
species control resources and protecting Commonwealth lands. The newly
proposed controlled plant section will also
enable the controlled use of plants with economic value for biofuel or
other uses that have the potential for unwanted spread if not properly
managed.<br>
<br>
My proposal will update the current list of noxious weeds to include
several new weeds that are having an adverse impact on agriculture and
wildlife species, as well as, the use of water and land in Pennsylvania.
In addition, it updates the current list of
noxious weeds to include several new weeds (Animated Oat, Broomrape,
Dodder, Hydrilla, Palmer amaranth, Tropical Soda Apple and Waterhemp)
that are having a negative impact on economic profitability and use of
waters and lands of the Commonwealth.<br>
<br>
The bill will allow the Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Committee,
consisting of public and private sector stakeholders, to conduct studies
and risk assessments on any plant the committee is considering adding
or deleting from the noxious weed list. By default,
it will also incorporate those weeds that are on the Federal Noxious
Weed List.<br>
<br>
The addition of permitting for controlled plants allows beneficial
plants that could have the potential to become invasive to be used with a
permit for research, cultivation, or other uses. One such use is the
production of the grass Miscanthus, which is grown
and harvested for use as a biofuel.<br>
<br>
The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry worked
extensively on this proposal to address and respond to dangerous plant
species in order to protect the public as well as the state’s
agriculture and wildlife resources.<br>
<br>
The Pennsylvania Invasive Species Council (PISC), which consists of
several state agencies and other organizations, including the PA
Landscape and Nursery Association (PLNA); the PA Lake Management Society
(PALMS); and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC),
etc., all support the bill.</span></div>