To: Administrator of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance

From: Alexis Smoak

Subject: Enforcing Habitat Protection from Invasive Species

Hello Mr. Lawrence Starfield,

I am an employee of the Office of Water in the EPA. I have been observing the coastal zones of
dangerous amounts of invasive species. Now is the time we need to focus on containing the
number of these intruders to the land to conserve both the wetland regions and the water.

Enforcement and Inspection Concerns

The enforcements are steadily relieving the habitats of harmful human interaction; however, I
believe more enforcement over invasive species would also be beneficial. Humans are not the
only culprits to a habitat’s demise. Invasive species can be foreign plants or animals that do not
belong to the area. The plants suffocate the roots of the origin plants of the area, while the
wildlife affect the food chain for predators and prey.

Enforcement of species accountability in each preserved area along with import inspections will
greatly increase the preservation efforts. Imports of planes and boats can accidently or
intentionally ship foreign species to the country. The effort required for full preservation will be
high when combatting both humans and essential shipping across countries.

Action Required

I would like to request for your agency tomeet with the Office of Water on November 20th.
Within the meeting we will discuss the need for fines and inspections. We will also discuss what
is needed to enact this enforcement along with budgeting. . Higher fines in place for someone
caught releasing an invasive species into a local habitat would increase chances of it no longer
happening in the future. Enforcement of shipping inspections will also be requested. Your team
would inspect incoming planes and boats of invasive plants or wildlife that may have boarded at
the time of loading and departure. Monthly habitat inspections where new species will be
recorded to account for any change of invasive introductions. I believe these efforts would
further the preservation of local habitats and overall, better the health of the ecosystems in the
country. Thank you for your time. I hope to meet with your team soon on November 20th at the
Office of Water meeting room. Please email me by November 15th to confirm your meeting with
us.

Sincerely,

Alexis Smoak
amsmoak@clemson.edu
(843) 123-4569