The House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee is scheduled to hold an informational meeting March 18 on the spotted lanternfly.
The meeting was scheduled after the Department of Agriculture on March 3 announced 12 counties have been added to Pennsylvania’s Spotted Lanternfly quarantine zone ahead of the 2020 spring hatch. The quarantine area for this invasive pest is now at 26 counties.
Allegheny, Beaver, Blair, Columbia, Cumberland, Huntingdon, Juniata, Luzerne, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, and York have been added.
Businesses that operate in or travel through quarantined counties are required to obtain a Spotted Lanternfly permit; fines associated with noncompliance can be up to $300 for a criminal citation or up to $20,000 for a civil penalty. Click Here for more.
At a March 2 Senate budget hearing, Dr. Richard Roush, Dean of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Science called the spotted lanternfly the worst invasive insect pest since the introduction of the gypsy moth nearly 150 years ago.
Current economic damages due to the pest are estimated at $50.1 million per year with a loss of 484 jobs, and, if not contained, could increase to $324 million annually and cause the loss of about 2,800 jobs.
He said it is a threat to the survival of Pennsylvania vineyards, with one killed already and at least five more under threat. Click Here for more.
The spotted lanternfly also came up during the Senate budget hearing with the Department of Agriculture.
Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) told Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding at the hearing he believes the state is “throwing money away” in trying to control the spotted lanternfly.
“I don’t believe for a minute you will be able to stop the lanternfly from spreading across the Commonwealth,” said Sen. Laughlin. “I think we need to focus on the help we can give our farmers to deal with this crisis.”
He said he did not know of a successful effort to control a similar invasive insect.
Sen. Laughlin said he believes a good portion of the $22 million lanternfly money should be diverted to dealing with chronic wasting disease in deer.
Erie County is home to 72 percent of Pennsylvania’s grape production. Click Here for more.
For more information on this issue, visit the Department of Agriculture’s Spotted Lanternfly webpage, the Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly webpage and the U.S.D.A. Spotted Lanternfly webpage.
The meeting will be held in Room 140 of the Main Capitol starting at 10:00 a.m. Click Here to watch the hearing live online.
Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron) serves as Majority Chair of the House Agriculture Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-787-5075 or by sending email to: mcauser@pahousegop.com. Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Luzerne) serves as Minority Chair and can be calling 717-783-0686 or by sending email to: epashins@pahouse.net.
[Posted: March 6, 2020] PA Environment Digest
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