Feds earmark $845,000 for weed control

By Maurice Emery
Editor Emeritus

Tucked away in the federal budget bill signed by President George W. Bush in December were appropriations totaling $845,900 for weed treatment in Lake Gaston. 

U. S. Rep. Virgil Goode of Virginia made sure the Lake Gaston Weed Control Council got a Christmas gift of $333,900 by specifically naming the council as the recipient.

Another $512,000 was in the bill for the Wilmington district of the Army Corps of Engineers for use in the Aquatic Plant Control program in fighting weeds in the lake. 

According to Goode the money from his amendment will go to the U. S. Agriculture Department Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).  Goode drafted the amendment to H.R. 2764 known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008. The amendment specifically directs APHIS to provide cooperative technical assistance to the weed council to control hydrilla. 

Goode told the Observer, “We hope the language about cooperative agreement will get APHIS in line so [the weed council] can get more control over the funds and use them as they need to in controlling weeds and hydrilla on Lake Gaston.” 

Jerr Rosenbaum, the chief of staff, for Rep. Goode, told the Observer that in the end $331,563 is what will be available to the weed council. These are matching funds that will be available for this year’s treatment. 

The bill directs APHIS to report back to the Appropriation Committees by May 1 this year on the progress.