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Senators pass bill to add salt cedar to invasive species program and fund eradication in Upper Red River Basin
Summary
House Bill 1728 authorizes a program to target and eradicate salt cedar (tamarisk) in specified areas north of Altus, citing water‑use and streamflow impacts; the committee approved the measure unanimously.
House Bill 1728, presented to the committee as an invasive species measure, passed with no recorded opposition. The sponsor said the bill would add salt cedar — commonly called tamarisk — to the list of targeted invasive species and set up a program to eradicate it in affected basins.
Senator Merrick, in closing debate, told members that salt cedars "draw a lot more water out" than other vegetation and that their spread is affecting stream flows and groundwater in basins such as the Upper Red River Basin. When asked about program boundaries, the sponsor said the program would be administered in areas "north of, Luger Altus. Altus." The committee record shows a roll call of 12 ayes and 0 nays; the chair declared the bill to have passed in committee.
The measure as described on the floor establishes a targeted eradication program focused on specified waterways and tributaries and would require implementing rules and funding mechanisms to carry out removal and control efforts. The committee did not record detailed fiscal estimates during the floor explanation.
