NYSDEC
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators, including New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, have introduced a bill to designate Spotted Lanternfly as an invasive species.
The Spotted Lanternfly Research and Development Act would designate the pest as an invasive species that poses a significant threat to the nation’s agricultural economy and as a high-priority research initiative for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Spotted lanternflies are harmful to specialty crops like grapes across New York State, especially in Western New York, the Finger Lakes, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley. As the species continues to spread, designating spotted lanternfly controls as a high-priority research initiative will help focus USDA scientific resources to combat the spread of this invasive pest. In 2025, researchers at Cornell University estimated that if left unchecked, the spotted lanternfly could cost New York’s grape industry over $14 million over the first three years of invasion.
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