Dear Friend:

I am pleased to let you know that I am supporting a bill, S.887,
authored by Senator Dianne Feinstein, that would restore the nation's
agricultural inspections to the Department of Agriculture.  S.887 would
transfer the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection Program (AQI) from the
Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection back to
the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

When the Homeland Security Act became law in 2003, agricultural
inspections at all points of entry were transferred from the Department
of Agriculture to the Department of Homeland Security.  Now, after four
years of monitoring this process, it is clear that this function should
be returned to the Department of Agriculture.  Currently fewer
agricultural inspections are being conducted at our borders and ports,
and there is also decreased communication between the program and state
agricultural organizations.

Problems with the transfer of the program were highlighted last year
when the Government Accountability Office reviewed the transfer in a
report entitled "Homeland Security: Management and Coordination Problems
Increase the Vulnerability of U.S. Agriculture to Foreign Pests and
Disease."  This report found that the rate of inspection at several key
American points of entry has significantly decreased and that a majority
of the agricultural inspection specialists reported that they were not
only doing fewer inspections but that there were too few specialists to
carry out their task and that their work was not respected by their
Department.

California is the nation's most productive agricultural state, and
imported pests pose a significant threat to that productivity.
Intercepting foreign pests at our borders or points of entry is vital to
this effort.  Millions of dollars can be spent if a foreign pest is
released into a prime agricultural area, making better inspection a true
cost savings overall.

I am pleased to support S.887, which will allow us to return
agricultural inspection to the Department of Agriculture and again make
it a top priority.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

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Dear Friend:

I am pleased to offer a new "Take A Step" tip to improve our environment
and stop global warming.  These tips are designed to allow everyone to
take a step in their daily lives for a better world.  A collection of
these tips may be found at http://boxer.senate.gov/takeastep/index.cfm

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

TAKE A STEP: PLANT A TREE

One tree will absorb about a ton of carbon dioxide in its lifetime.
Carbon dioxide is the major cause of global warming. Planting six trees
can reduce your emissions by 2 percent
annually.   It can also provide shade for you and a home to
birds and other wildlife.  If you live in an apartment or area where you
cannot plant a tree of your own, check with your local city or county
government.  Many have tree planting programs that you and your family
could join, while others might approve rooftop gardens.  Another
resource is the National Arbor Day Foundation, which has a directory of
local tree planting organizations at http://www.arborday.org/programs/volunteers/States.cfm

Take a step and plant a tree.