Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments of 2014

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events occur throughout the United States. They are damaging to water bodies, and are harmful to plant and animal life. They also cost local communities millions of dollars and many hours of recreational enjoyment. The adverse effects are both near-term and long-term.

The continued need for advancing research on harmful algal blooms and hypoxia events is very apparent. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will continue robust funding for this important research, leading us to a better understanding of the causes, effects, and steps we can take to prevent harmful algae and hypoxia events in the future.

Reported to the floor with bipartisan support from the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, S. 1254, the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2014, includes provisions that Representative Bonamici and I were privileged to advance. As amended, this bill will better streamline and coordinate existing harmful algae bloom and hypoxia research activities at NOAA and other Federal agencies.

We place a high priority on using research to create implementable action plans to minimize the economic, ecologic, and human health impacts from harmful algae blooms.

By incorporating provisions to encourage collaborative research between local, State, and Federal agencies, we will be able to avoid costly duplicative research, which will stretch every dollar further and significantly advance this important research.

In my congressional district, the Indian River Lagoon has experienced algae blooms each year from 2011 to 2013, leading to the loss of nearly half of all the sea grass beds--the primary means of measuring health in the Indian River Lagoon. Prior to 2011, sea grass beds in the lagoon had been on a steady increase for nearly 15 years. The devastating economic and ecologic impacts of these blooms over the past 3 years can be felt across the entire length of the 156-mile lagoon.

The economic impact of the Indian River Lagoon is approximately $3.5 billion. A healthy lagoon is vital to the economic well-being of the Treasure Coast and the Space Coast. I raised my family on the lagoon, so I can speak from personal experience about the changes we have seen and the benefits of our lagoon to our communities.

Our bill gives researchers another tool to help us better understand, anticipate, control, and mitigate harmful algal blooms like those we have seen in the Indian River Lagoon and in communities across the country.

I would like to thank Chairman Smith and the majority and minority staff who worked together to shepherd this bill through committee. I would also like to thank the ranking member of the Environmental Subcommittee, Ms. Bonamici. It was a pleasure to work with you and your staff to make several bipartisan perfecting changes to the Senate bill so that this bipartisan measure can make it here to the House floor.

I would encourage my colleagues to support the bill before us so that we can reauthorize this important program and continue to advance this research that is so important for communities, like the coastal community I am privileged to live in and represent in Congress.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source