[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 30, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E806-E807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM AND HYPOXIA RESEARCH AMENDMENTS 
                              ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2003

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to introduce the Harmful 
Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Amendments Act of 2003. Harmful algal 
blooms and hypoxia are a significant threat to human health, commercial

[[Page E807]]

fishing, and recreational water use throughout the United States. My 
legislation will authorize funding for research to improve our response 
to this threat and to develop a deeper understanding of these problems.
  Harmful algal blooms occur in both marine and freshwater 
environments, and are often referred to as red tides or brown tides. 
These dense mats of algae produce toxins dangerous to aquatic life and 
to humans, some of which are so potent that eating just one 
contaminated mussel could result in anything from mild nausea to 
paralysis, and even death in some cases.
  Hypoxia occurs when an algal bloom dies and is decomposed by bacteria 
in the water. This process depletes oxygen to levels so low they cannot 
support aquatic life, which decreases fisheries production and can 
produce terrible odors that make the water undesirable for recreational 
use.
  It is estimated that harmful algal blooms cost the U.S. $50 million a 
year, while hypoxia causes severe conditions in many locations, 
including the Gulf of Mexico, where a ``dead'' zone the size of New 
Jersey develops each summer.
  Harmful algal blooms and hypoxia are also causing problems closer to 
my home region, the Great Lakes, where these events are more frequently 
fouling the water. In the past 30 years, major advances were made to 
improve Great Lakes water quality, but recently scientists have 
observed an increase in both harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. The 
reasons for this are unclear, but may be related to invasive species 
changing the way nutrients are cycled in the lakes.
  In 1998, Congress passed the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research 
and Control Act. The Act created a Task Force to examine these problems 
and authorized $19 million annually for research and monitoring 
activities related to harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. This March, the 
Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards, of which I serve 
as chairman, held a hearing on this subject and found that we need to 
expand our research efforts to include freshwater blooms, update our 
assessments of these threats every five years, and improve 
communication with local resource managers about these efforts. The 
legislation I am introducing today seeks to address these findings.
  More specifically, the legislation expands the authorization of 
funding to $30 million annually (over the next three years) for 
research and monitoring efforts on harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. It 
also requires the Task Force to develop research plans on previously 
overlooked aspects of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia, such as: Great 
Lakes harmful algal blooms; and prevention, control and mitigation 
methods to reduce the impact of harmful algal blooms.

  This legislation also provides a mechanism for regional and local 
assessments of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia, because the causes of 
harmful algal blooms and hypoxia vary with regional water use, land 
use, and environment. Additionally, it increases the participation of 
local resource managers in this process, ensuring that our investment 
in research produces useful tools for the people dealing with the 
problems on a day-to-day basis.
  The bill reauthorizes funding for programs that have been effective 
in improving our scientific understanding of harmful algal blooms and 
hypoxia, namely the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms 
(ECOHAB) program and the Monitoring and Event Response to Harmful Algal 
Blooms (MERHAB) program. It also requires scientific assessments of 
harmful algal blooms and hypoxia on a regular basis, providing a means 
to continuously target our resources in an effective manner.
  In conclusion, my legislation provides a research framework for 
addressing the nationwide problem of harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. 
It improves our ability to understand and predict harmful algal bloom 
events, adds the Great Lakes as an important area for harmful algal 
bloom and hypoxia research, and ensures the participation of local 
resource managers in developing research plans so that the research can 
be fully utilized by everyone concerned with these important issues. I 
have been working with my colleague from Ohio, Senator George 
Voinovich, who is introducing companion legislation in the Senate 
today. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to pass this 
important bill.

                          ____________________