U.S. House Hones Attack on Algal Blooms
Feb 10, 2015 12:00 AM
2015-02-10T00:00:00
OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN Robert E. Latta
FIFTH DISTRICT OF OHIO
2448 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-6405 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2015 Contact: Sarah Criser
(202) 225-6405
Latta’s Drinking Water Protection Act “recognizes the urgency of addressing the public health threat presented by harmful algal blooms.”
Congress, often criticized as a collection of Balkanized do-nothing politicians on the public dole, has come together in a kumbaya moment to target freshwater phosphorus-fueled scum puddles.
In August, these Microcystis aeruginosabiomasses poisoned the drinking water of nearly 500,000 residents of the western basin of Lake Erie - an unprecedented environmental disaster that has led to virtually no meaningful legislation at either the state or federal level.
That may be about to change.
The Drinking Water Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Bob Latta, a Bowling Green Republican, cannonballed out of subcommittee last week with a tsunami of bipartisan support.
On Thursday morning, it is scheduled for mark-up by the Energy and Commerce Committee, Latta spokeswoman Sarah Criser said for this editorial.
House Bill 212 recognizes the urgency of addressing the public health threat presented by harmful algal blooms. The act requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide to Congress a "strategic plan for assessing and managing risks associated with cyanotoxins in drinking water provided by public water systems."
It would give the EPA 90 days to submit a detailed proposal.
Even better, the bill "doesn't require a funding mechanism," Criser said. "It utilizes the existing U.S. EPA budget."
A key element of the legislation would order the EPA to issue advisories on what level of cyanotoxins - which can cause fevers, vomiting and diarrhea, among other reactions - is safe in drinking water.
Currently, there is no federal standard. Public health agencies use safety standards set by the World Health Organization (1 part per billion for drinking water and 20 parts per billion for physical contact).
Peter Grevatt of the EPA testified before the House subcommittee that his agency will release advisories for two cyanotoxins associated with algal blooms by spring. Those advisories also will recommend water treatments to mitigate adverse effects.
A full-speed-ahead attitude on algal bloom legislation also needs to animate the Ohio General Assembly, where the Ohio Senate is fast-tracking Senate Bill 1, bipartisan legislation introduced last week to crack down on the phosphorus runoff that feeds toxic algal blooms. Now Rep. Brian Hill, who chairs the House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, and others in the Ohio House have to accelerate their efforts.
Ohioans are waiting.
Read the editorial online here.
FIFTH DISTRICT OF OHIO
2448 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-6405 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2015 Contact: Sarah Criser
(202) 225-6405
In Case You Missed It: U.S. House Hones Attack on Algal Blooms
By: Editorial BoardLatta’s Drinking Water Protection Act “recognizes the urgency of addressing the public health threat presented by harmful algal blooms.”
Congress, often criticized as a collection of Balkanized do-nothing politicians on the public dole, has come together in a kumbaya moment to target freshwater phosphorus-fueled scum puddles.
In August, these Microcystis aeruginosabiomasses poisoned the drinking water of nearly 500,000 residents of the western basin of Lake Erie - an unprecedented environmental disaster that has led to virtually no meaningful legislation at either the state or federal level.
That may be about to change.
The Drinking Water Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Bob Latta, a Bowling Green Republican, cannonballed out of subcommittee last week with a tsunami of bipartisan support.
On Thursday morning, it is scheduled for mark-up by the Energy and Commerce Committee, Latta spokeswoman Sarah Criser said for this editorial.
House Bill 212 recognizes the urgency of addressing the public health threat presented by harmful algal blooms. The act requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide to Congress a "strategic plan for assessing and managing risks associated with cyanotoxins in drinking water provided by public water systems."
It would give the EPA 90 days to submit a detailed proposal.
Even better, the bill "doesn't require a funding mechanism," Criser said. "It utilizes the existing U.S. EPA budget."
A key element of the legislation would order the EPA to issue advisories on what level of cyanotoxins - which can cause fevers, vomiting and diarrhea, among other reactions - is safe in drinking water.
Currently, there is no federal standard. Public health agencies use safety standards set by the World Health Organization (1 part per billion for drinking water and 20 parts per billion for physical contact).
Peter Grevatt of the EPA testified before the House subcommittee that his agency will release advisories for two cyanotoxins associated with algal blooms by spring. Those advisories also will recommend water treatments to mitigate adverse effects.
A full-speed-ahead attitude on algal bloom legislation also needs to animate the Ohio General Assembly, where the Ohio Senate is fast-tracking Senate Bill 1, bipartisan legislation introduced last week to crack down on the phosphorus runoff that feeds toxic algal blooms. Now Rep. Brian Hill, who chairs the House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, and others in the Ohio House have to accelerate their efforts.
Ohioans are waiting.
Read the editorial online here.