House passes algal bloom legislation

WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives passed the Drinking Water Protection Act (H.R. 212) this evening by a bipartisan vote of 375 to 37 pushing federal agencies to provide clear protocols and oversight in the event of a large-scale algal bloom. Representative Kaptur is an original co-sponsor for this legislation which was introduced in this Congress by Rep. Bob Latta. Algal blooms are often the result of excessive runoff from agriculture or urban centers. They can produce a dangerous spike in the concentration of toxins in drinking water and eventually lead to major ecological collapse.

“When the water crisis hit Toledo last year, shortcomings in our federal response to this kind of dangerous environmental event were laid bare,” said Kaptur. “While it has been long in coming, Congress has finally taken a critical step to arm communities against the threat of toxic algae, which I hope expedites the U.S. EPA’s work on long-overdue guidelines. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to approve this overdue legislation without further delay.”

Lake Erie is one of the largest sources of fresh water for drinking in the world. Communities along the coast of Lake Erie depend on the lake with more than 7 billion dollars a year in economic activity coming from fishing, recreation, and tourism.

Representative Kaptur is the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water and was recently elected to serve as a new Co-Chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force She has sponsored algal bloom response legislation since the 2014 Lake Erie water crisis.

Contact: Matt Sonneborn, (202) 225-4146 or Matt.Sonneborn@mail.house.gov

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