Harmful Algal Blooms And Hypoxia Research And Control Amendments Act Of 2010

Floor Speech

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Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Mr. Baird from Washington for his leadership. He has been a real champion on behalf of clean water and clean beaches. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Science and Technology Committee for their terrific work on what I call the ``red tide bill.''

This is a jobs bill because, let me tell you, coming from the great State of Florida, the Sunshine State, we depend on folks from all across the country coming to vacation in Florida, to swim and to fish. There is nothing like a vacation in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. And I see my friend and colleague here who represents the Florida Keys. There is nothing like a vacation there where you can spend time unwinding on our beautiful beaches.

But there is a real threat to our tourism economy and jobs in the State of Florida, like there is in other parts of the country, and it's these very harmful algal blooms that cause red tide. In a State that employs over 1 million Floridians and where tourism has a $65 billion impact on our State's economy, when the red tide rolls in, it's a serious threat, because what the red tide does is it causes you difficulty breathing. It burns your eyes. Dead fish will roll up on the beaches. It's really bad news.

The problem is we don't know what causes it, and that's why this bill is so important. And it's tied to jobs because, if we can do a little bit of research and determine what the causes are, we will be able to protect our tourism economy and make sure that we have clean and healthy beaches for folks who need that vacation.

By some estimates, red tide outbreaks cost coastal communities $82 million a year. We have got to find out what is happening here. I also want to recognize my colleague and good friend Congressman Connie Mack, who represents some of the most beautiful beaches in the country down in Naples and Sanibel Island. Two years ago we were able to authorize $90 million for a 3-year period for peer-reviewed science research on red tide.

But today's legislation builds on that bipartisan effort. And Representative Baird's bill, which I cosponsored, creates a new initiative on red tide, and will dedicate some monies to over 5 years of finding a solution that will give our Federal and State agencies a real leg up.

Like I said, red tide is a significant threat to jobs, our tourism economy, our health, and our environment. So I am pleased to urge that we all join together to protect our coastal resources and the tourism-related jobs that come with having healthy beaches by learning more about harmful algal blooms and adopting H.R. 3650.

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