U.S. SENATE ATTACKS ALGAE!

In February, the U.S. Senate made a bold move to legislate a fight against harmful effects of algae blooms on fish. It passed S. 1254, a bill whose title has a bit of a bloom itself--the "Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act."

The subject blooms, of course, are the growth of blue-green algae in waterbodies, and hypoxia is the depletion of oxygen in waterbodies--which can be caused by the die-off of algae blooms. The bill would require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (another title bloom) to establish a task force to study algae and causes of hypoxia, to create an action plan and to report to Congress. The bill would provide $92 million to fund the project.

It is good to learn that Congress apparently has made algae a high priority concern and has taken such positive action to address the issue. On the other hand, one wonders whether it will be as decisive in dealing with such issues as the economy, unemployment, national debt, defense, the budget and foreign policy, to name a few. These "blooms" may be more difficult to control.