[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11661]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           TOXIC ALGAL BLOOMS

  (Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Speaker, according to the national 
environmental officials, for the first time this year, toxic algal 
blooms have formed on the shores of Lake Erie.
  This toxic accumulation of algae represents a direct threat to the 
people of western New York, but they also threaten the surrounding 
Great Lakes communities, representing 20 percent of the world's 
freshwater drinking supply.
  This past year, toxic blooms have been so extreme that they have 
infiltrated clean drinking water sources, turning once clean waters 
into toxic swamps. These hazardous blooms threaten the local economy, 
which is dependent on fishing, recreation, and tourism. Furthermore, 
they represent a critical danger to wildlife present on Lake Erie.
  At a time when the House is considering defunding environmental 
efforts, I would remind my colleagues of the tremendous progress that 
we have made to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to clean up our 
Nation's lakes and rivers. This is no time to turn back.

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