This bill adds a new "Golden Mussel Demonstration Program" to the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990. The program directs the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force to set up research, monitoring, prevention, control, eradication, education, and technical-assistance activities focused on the golden mussel. Key parts of the program in the bill include research on mussel biology and environmental tolerances, tracking dispersal and an early warning system, development of control and eradication methods (including work on derelict vessels, public infrastructure, fish screens, waterways, and hull inspections), and making control information available to state, local, and port authorities. The bill requires the Task Force to develop control and eradication guidelines within one year, including watercraft inspection stations. It also creates a competitive grant program for states, local entities, higher education institutions, nonprofits, and industry to test control technologies or study mussel biology and containment. The bill allows technology-transfer agreements for new technologies and authorizes delegation of implementation duties to qualified entities. The demonstration program must be implemented in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and any other waters the Task Force finds are infested or likely to become infested. The bill authorizes $15,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for these activities.
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No publicly available information.