Kaptur signs on to help bill dealing with algal blooms

SANDUSKY — U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, signed on as a lead co-sponsor for a bill that steps up the federal government's efforts against harmful algal blooms, such as the one that plagues Lake Erie.The bipartisan measure reauthorizes the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act and raises annual spending for it from $20.5 million to $22 million.The bill makes federal funding available for communities hurt by harmful algal blooms, provides grants to help deal with harmful algal blooms and directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve its monitoring of harmful algal blooms, a problem in much of the country."Though serious work remains in our shared challenge to address harmful algal blooms, this is a good step and a commonsense measure to bolstering a coordinated federal response to this crisis," Kaptur said."From Lake Erie to Florida to Oregon – harmful algal blooms take their toll on our property values, our economy, our environment and threaten clean water access. With the Senate passage of a fully funded Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, we now need to double down at every level of government to heal our Great Lakes."The Senate recently funded the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $300 million, the same level as the House. Congress has turned aside the Trump administration's efforts to wipe out funding for the program.The lead author of the algal bloom bill is U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, a Florida Republican.The bill is in its early stages, said Josh Stewart, a spokesman for Kaptur."But there is hope it can move out of the House as it as strong bipartisan support," he told the Register.On Monday, the NOAA reported in its Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom Bulletin that the main algal bloom is in Maumee Bay, extending north along the Michigan coast to Brest Bay, east to Pelee Island and along the Ohio coast to eight miles east of Sandusky Bay. In addition, a bloom persists in Sandusky Bay, the NOAA said.Toxin concentrations have been found as far east as Kelleys Island but are "still below the recreational threshold throughout the bloom," the NOAA said.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontomMarcy Kaptur