WASHINGTON — Congressman Vern Buchanan announced he is co-sponsoring legislation today to require continued monitoring of red tide blooms even when the federal government reduces services during a shutdown.
His action comes as red tide has resurfaced in small amounts in the region.
The “Harmful Algal Bloom Essential Forecasting Act” would elevate red tide forecasting to the same public safety level as other federal programs deemed necessary to maintain during a shutdown.
The need for the bill was underscored in 2019 during a 35-day government shutdown while Southwest Florida experienced a virulent outbreak of red tide. According to a Tampa Bay Times article, the shutdown kept NOAA’s scientists at home and not analyzing satellite images in order to track where algae were beginning to grow in the Gulf.
Under the bill, the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science would continue monitoring and forecasting of algal blooms to keep state and local officials apprised of environmental conditions.
“This is an important safeguard as we learned during the 35-day government shutdown in 2018/19,” Buchanan said. “Monitoring is essential so we can protect people’s health and take swift action to protect our coastal ecosystem.”
During the 2018-19 shutdown, federal satellites were unable to monitor blooms or publish forecasts at a time when lingering blooms of both red tide in saltwater and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) inland devastated wildlife and coastal economies.
This bill would keep such a lapse from happening again.
“Water quality is a top priority in our region,” Buchanan said. “It becomes even more important when you consider the health and economic impact to our region.”
Buchanan has one of the strongest records in Congress on combatting red tide. Earlier this year, he introduced the Protecting Local Communities from Harmful Algal Blooms Act, which would amend the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include algal blooms in the definition of a “major disaster.” This change would require the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to provide both technical and financial assistance to states suffering from outbreaks of Harmful Algal Blooms like red tide. In 2018, the Congressman’s proposal to increase funding for red tide research by $8 million was signed into law. He also backed a proposal that was signed by President Trump to provide more than $100 million to combat Harmful Algal Blooms such as red tide.
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