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2002 October Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
Appendix B—The United States General Accounting Office Says Greater Commitment Needed to Manage Invasive Species Effectively
In 1998, President Clinton signed an executive order intended to improve co-ordination and focus among federal agencies with programs targeted at specific aspects of the invasive species problem. The executive order, among other things, created the interagency National Invasive Species Council and charged it with developing a national management plan for addressing the problems posed by invasive species.
The United States General Accounting Office (GAO) has reported in the past on funding for invasive species activities and the effectiveness of its rapid response capability.* Given the seriousness and complexity of the issues, in late 2001 the GAO initiated a review of the progress made under the executive order. Recognizing the international dimensions of the issue, as part of this work the GAO—in parallel with the Office of the Auditor General—undertook an evaluation of efforts to regulate discharges of ballast water in the Great Lakes, a key source of invasive species in these waters that affects both countries. More specifically, the GAO's objectives were to
(1) assess the usefulness to decision makers of studies that have estimated the economic impact of invasive species in the United States
(2) assess the National Invasive Species Management Plan, including the extent to which the United States government has implemented the plan
(3) provide the views of experts on the adequacy of U.S. and Canadian federal government efforts to prevent the introduction of invasive species into the Great Lakes via the ballast water of ships
(4) describe U.S. and Canadian co-ordination of invasive species management efforts