WASHINGTON, DC - The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released a report on federal expenditures related to harmful algal blooms. The report was requested as part of Rep. Bob Latta’s (R-OH) H.R. 212, the Drinking Water Protection Act, which was signed into law in August of 2015 in response to the water emergency caused by algal blooms in Toledo, Ohio, the previous summer. H.R. 212 tasked GAO with reviewing federal agencies’ expenditures and coordination related to the harmful algal blooms.
GAO wrote, “The agencies with the largest expenditures related to harmful algal blooms for this period - totaling roughly $86 million - were the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, $39.4 million; National Science Foundation (NSF), $15.4 million; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), $14.5 million; U.S. Geological Survey, $9 million; and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), $8 million. According to agency officials, these 5 agencies funded efforts to research and analyze harmful algal blooms; forecast, monitor, and respond to their occurrence, and investigate human and ecological health effects. … Federal officials report that their agencies coordinate in a variety of ways with each other and with nonfederal stakeholders to share information, expertise, and opportunities for collaboration on activities to address harmful algae."
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL), and Rep. Latta commented, “The Great Lakes play a vital role in our ecosystem and provide an important source of drinking water for millions of folks in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. This report gives us a better sense of where and how federal resources are being directed. It will go a long way in examining where to best direct resources and develop policies that support efforts to mitigate the effects of harmful algal blooms."
