NEWS: House Passes Harder’s Swamp Rat Bill to Protect Farms and Waterways
Overwhelming bipartisan support for nutria eradication comes as funds set to expire this year
Above: Rep. Harder speaks on the House floor urging the bill’s passage
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives passed Rep. Josh Harder’s bipartisan bill to continue funding eradication efforts of nutria – the giant swamp rats with an exploding population that cause massive damage to crops, levees, and the Delta. The overwhelmingly bipartisan passage of the Nutria Eradication and Control Reauthorization Act comes as current funding is set to expire this year, and on the heels of the most captures in a single year in 2024.
“These 40 pound swamp rats are infesting our communities and waterways. We have to keep this fight up - or else their population can balloon out of control incredibly quickly,” said Rep. Harder. “I’ve worked with Republicans and President Trump to get this invasion under control, and I’m proud that today we took a critical step towards driving these pests out of the Valley for good.”
Nutria are able to eat 25% of their body weight every day and reproduce 200 offspring every year, which has led to an infestation that has expanded across the Valley. In 2023, 78% of nutria found were in newly infested areas including the northwestern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and throughout the San Joaquin River corridor in Fresno County.
Last year, more than 1,300 nutria were captured in California, which is the most in a single year, and more than the last two years combined. Funding for these eradication efforts is critical to ensure that this nutria infestation does not continue to spread.
###