Bugging Us to The Tune of $120 Billion
The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) protects the health and value of American agriculture and our natural resources. According to a Cornell University study released in 2004, invasive pest species not common in the U.S. are causing major environmental damages and economic losses adding up to almost $120 billion per year. An earlier 1997 General Accounting Office report estimated the national cost to taxpayers from invasive species was close to $41 billion annually in lost production, prevention, and control expenses.…
