Connecticut’s entire congressional delegation is opposing the potential closure of an invasive insect laboratory in Hamden.
The closure, which was first reported by Connecticut Public in May, is part of a federal cost-cutting plan by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Under the plan, 57 of 77 research facilities operated by the U.S. Forest Service could close. Connecticut’s lab would be replaced by a regional office in Warren, Penn.
Researchers at the Hamden lab are known for managing invasive insects like spongy moth, Asian long-horned beetle and spotted lanternfly to prevent trees from dying.
Across New England, insects are responsible for almost a quarter of tree deaths, according to a new study from the University of Vermont.
U.S. Senators and members of Congress wrote the letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday, asking the department not to close the lab.
“At a time when our New England trees are under such grave threat, it defies logic that this administration would seek to close a research facility that has a proven track record of successfully responding to invasive species,” according to the letter, signed by U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Chris Murphy and Reps. John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Hines and Jahana Hayes.
The signatories to the letter, all Democrats, called the move “especially baffling” considering USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins’s memo in December, which listed invasive insect prevention as a top priority for future research and development.
“Now just a few months later, you are threatening to close a facility that does exactly that,” the letter continued.
Another invasive insect lab in Ansonia, operated by the U.S. Forest Service, is also included on the list of facilities being considered for closure. But in an email on Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service said the lab has not been staffed for some time and that it was scheduled to close before the upcoming reorganization.
Still, Rep. DeLauro proposed an amendment on Thursday to prohibit the closure of both labs.
“Stopping invasive species should be a bipartisan priority,” DeLauro said during a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee.
“Invasive species research is not something that can be done from afar. It’s time and labor intensive, it's highly localized, requiring frequent trips in the fields and woods where these species live,” she said.
The proposed closures have not been finalized, according to a spokesperson from the U.S. Forest Service, who also noted that the organization’s work on invasive insects is not going away.
“The reorganization does not eliminate scientific positions, cancel research programs, or reduce our national research footprint,” the spokesperson said. “Staff and programs will continue their work, relocated into fewer facilities while maintaining research presence across the country.”
Áine Pennello is a Report for America corps member, covering the environment and climate change for Connecticut Public
