[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1480 Introduced in Senate (IS)]





105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1480

 To authorize appropriations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration to conduct research, monitoring, education and 
management activities for the eradication and control of harmful algal 
  blooms, including blooms of Pfiesteria piscicida and other aquatic 
                                toxins.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 8, 1997

 Ms. Snowe (for herself and Mr. Breaux) introduced the following bill; 
    which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize appropriations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration to conduct research, monitoring, education and 
management activities for the eradication and control of harmful algal 
  blooms, including blooms of Pfiesteria piscicida and other aquatic 
                                toxins.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Harmful Algal Bloom Research and 
Control Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the recent outbreak of the harmful microbe Pfiesteria 
        piscicida in the coastal waters of the United States is one of 
        a larger set of potentially harmful algal blooms that appear to 
        be increasing in abundance and intensity in the Nation's 
        coastal waters;
            (2) in recent years, harmful algal blooms have resulted in 
        massive fish kills, the deaths of numerous endangered West 
        Indian manatees, beach closures, and threats to public health 
        and safety;
            (3) other recent occurrences of harmful algal blooms 
        include red tides in the Gulf of Mexico and the southeast, 
        brown tides in New York and Texas, and shellfish poisonings in 
        the Gulf of Maine, the Pacific northwest and the Gulf of 
        Alaska;
            (4) harmful algal blooms have been responsible for an 
        estimated $1,000,000,000 in economic losses during the past 
        decade;
            (5) harmful algal blooms are composed of naturally 
        occurring species that reproduce explosively when the natural 
        system is out of balance;
            (6) under certain circumstances, harmful algal blooms can 
        lead directly to other damaging marine conditions such as 
        hypoxia, as has been found in the Gulf of Mexico.
            (7) factors thought to cause or contribute to harmful algal 
        blooms include excessive nutrients and toxins from polluted 
        runoff;
            (8) there is a strong need for a national strategy to 
        identify better means of controlling polluted runoff;
            (9) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        (NOAA) in the Department of Commerce, through its ongoing 
        research, grant, and coastal resource management programs, 
        possesses a full range of capabilities necessary to support a 
        near and long-term comprehensive effort to control and 
        eradicate harmful algal blooms; and
            (10) funding for NOAA's research and related programs will 
        aid in improving the Nation's understanding and capabilities 
        for addressing the human and environmental costs associated 
        with harmful algal blooms.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR ALGAL BLOOM ERADICATION AND 
              CONTROL.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
Commerce for activities related to the research, eradication, and 
control of harmful algal blooms $32,000,000 in each of fiscal years 
1998, 1999, and 2000, to remain available until expended. Of such 
amounts for each fiscal year--
            (1) $5,000,000 may be used to enable the National Oceanic 
        and Atmospheric Administration to carry out research 
        activities, including procurement and maintenance of research 
        facilities, of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, 
        National Marine Fisheries Service, and the National Ocean 
        Service;
            (2) $10,500,000 may be used to carry out the Ecology and 
        Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECO-HAB) project and 
        related research under the Coastal Ocean Program established 
        under section 201(c) of Public Law 102-567;
            (3) $3,000,000 may be used for outreach, education and 
        advisory services administered by the National Sea Grant Office 
        established under subsection 204(a) of the National Sea Grant 
        College Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1123(a));
            (4) $5,500,000 may be used to carry out federal and state 
        annual monitoring and analysis activities administered by the 
        Office of Resource Conservation and Assessment of the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and
            (5) $8,000,000 may be used for grants under sections 306, 
        306A and 310 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 
        U.S.C. 1455, 1455a and 1456c).
                                 <all>