Action | Amend noxious weed list |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 12/8/2023 |
I highly support the additions to the noxious weeds list.
The following is from a 2010 article titled "INVASIVE KUDZU IS MAJOR FACTOR IN SURFACE OZONE POLLUTION, STUDY SHOWS" from UVA Today.
"We found that this chemical reaction caused by kudzu leads to about a 50 percent increase in the number of days each year in which ozone levels exceed what the Environmental Protection Agency deems as unhealthy," said study co-author Manuel Lerdau, a University of Virginia professor of environmental sciences and biology. "This increase in ozone completely overcomes the reductions in ozone realized from automobile pollution control legislation."
"Essentially what we found is that this biological invasion has the capacity to degrade air quality, and in all likelihood over time lead to increases in air pollution, increases in health problems caused by that air pollution, and decreases in agricultural productivity," Lerdau said.
"This is yet another compelling reason to begin seriously combating this biological invasion. What was once considered a nuisance, and primarily of concern to ecologists and farmers, is now proving to be a potentially serious health threat."
We knew this in 2010 it is imperative we act on it today.