By: Ali Schmitz, Treasure Coast Newspapers
At least $5 million could be spent monitoring blue-green algae blooms and researching the health risks of exposure as part of a spending bill the U.S. Senate past Wednesday.
The bill includes a proposal by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio that would:
Ensure at least $5 million for the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the human health effects of exposure to harmful algal toxins, and to develop "innovative methods to monitor, characterize, and predict blooms for early action."
Give the U.S. Geological Survey a minimum of $200,000 to help "understand the mechanisms that result in the presence of toxins in harmful algal blooms."
The House will have to consider the measure as part of the budget when lawmakers from both chambers negotiate a compromise this fall…