so stop playing politics and join us in supporting his confirmation. >> watch day one of the senate confirmation hearing for supreme court nominee bret cavanaugh. september 4 on c-span three. watch anytime on c-span.org, or listen on the free c-span radio app. next we hear testimony from scientists and environmental experts on the impact of harmful algae bloom in u.s. water systems, specifically the florida gulf coast, great lakes and alaska. they spoke before at transportation subcommittee. this hearing runs one f hour. >> thank you.

fisheries in the coast guard will now come to order. good afternoon. our welcome everybody. today is an important oversight hearing that we are having to discuss harmful algae broom and the impact across our nation and coastal resources and coastal communities. they are scientifically complex and economically damaging and almost every state is now expressing some sort of event including my home state of c alaska. i'll give you a couple examples of what's happening in alaska. i knowe my colleagues will talk about what's happening in their state. over the last 80 years they have actually killed 15 people

and sickened hundreds. given that shellfish is a staple in many homes throughout alaska, particularly for tribal communities, this is a serious concern. they have also imposed serious financial consequences on our valuable seafood industry, not just in alaska, but throughout the country andoo in recent years, conditions that are triggering these are occurring moree frequently. there are multiple types which create difficulties for monitoring researching and responding to them.di paramedics should shellfish poisoning is a serious illness caused by eating shellfish contaminated with the toxic algae. this is a concern particularly as it can contain human illness and death at small concentration. harvested shelf fish is regularly tested but this is a particular haphazard but.

in southeast alaska, many are concerned with the lack of testing available for recreational shellfish creation which is very important in my state. in 2013 the alaska network was formed to monitor a jb and to develop a deeper understanding of where these are likely to occur. with eyes on the water, each week, partners from 17 tribesel are able to inform theirhe communities about the current risk of harvesting shellfish. there's a clam dock fishery wors worth over 5 million annually and it's in danger.

this fishery has been plagued byby f f unexplained toxicity resulting in very significant economic losses. another growing concern is the neurotoxin which has been a major concern not just in alaska but the entire westic coast, particularly int california, oregon and washington crab industry. it's recently been found in alaska and the waters and is a a growing concern for my state 3 million-dollar. year dungeness crab industry. although they have occurredsh in alaska's waters as far back as history goes, increasing frequencyoc of events has far-reaching impacts.ed have long supported this research to better understand these events and better prepared to respond to them. this is why i cosponsored the

bipartisan harmful algae bloom and research control amendment of 2017, along with my ranking m member senator baldwin and other committee members including senator peters and senator nelson. a jb's pose significant risk to oure fishing community, our economic and tourism community, given the importance of the ocean and our coastal resources to alaska's economy, florida's economy, many other economies that make sense that we as a nation coordinate our programs led by the national ocean and atmospheric administration. i will now give the floor to ranking member baldwin for her opening remarks and we are glad to have ranking member of the entire commerce committee, senatoror nelson here i've alsoo asked him if he has time, senator rubio who i know cares about this issue to stop by as well. senator baldwin. mr. chairman.

this summer, algae blooms are turning hundreds of wisconsin sparkling blue lakes and rivers into greenpeace soup, closing beaches and upending boating, fishing and familyy recreation plans. already as of early august that has been 160 days of beach closures in my home county alone. it's mostly due to blue-green algae. here is a satellite image taken last week showing algae blooms in green bay and in the lake winnebago watershed which would be right there, and green bay is right there. algae blooms are so bad in green bay that they have caused the dead zone to

persist in the bays deep waters for over 20 years. slowly removing oxygen from the waters, killing off fish and other aquatic life. a recent study led byis university of wisconsin milwaukee researchers shows that the dead zone is only getting worse. wisconsin's largest lake is lake winnebago, and it is shown on the photo behind me. lake winnebago has been plagued with a particularly bad algae bloom this summer, it was so bad in fact one ofoo our witnesses today canceled his plans to attend a fishing tournament on the lake because of the algae. unfortunately, he is notal alone. there are over a million anglers in the state of wisconsin, and, the state attracts the third most theesident anglers in

country and generates the second most nonresident expenditures only afterer florida. from bass, pike, walleye and trout, wisconsin is home to over 160 different fish species and is ave top destination forh fishing. algae blooms threaten our freshwater sportfishing, paradise by not only making the fish sick but by posing risk to anglersrs also.k fishing is just one activity that algae blooms impact. the blooms spoiled so much ofea what defines a great wisconsin summer. boating, swimming and beach going activities, these are activities that define summertime inti wisconsin. but these activities become dangerous to human healthes during algae bloom events. with over 15000 lakes and rivers, we have a lot to lose from harmful algae blooms in wisconsin. many thousands of residents

live on or neare.:[d6>2xj wisconsin. many residents live on or near waterfronts. businesses rely on healthy waterfronts for their revenues. a case in point, next we have a into of lake moneymen menomonie, wisconsin. in this lake is clogged with the warmerghout months, at a substantial cost to the community. students at the university of wisconsin stout estimate a clean millionld provide a $36 boost to the economy, a city of 16,000, and could lead to students wanting to stay in the area year-round. persistenty, toxic, blooms are on the rise in wisconsin and the rest of the u.s.. iny are increasing frequency, duration and extent. climate change is making it worse by creating more favorable

conditions for algae blooms. recently an unprecedented, bloom greened the shores of lake superior, and stretched all the way to the apostle islands, a popular destination for can hours. this may become the new normal. scientists are try to figure out exactly what is driving this new pattern in blooms. dsey have linked it to perio of heavy run fall -- heavy rainfall, which increases nutrient runoff. programonal algae bloom expires in just over one month,

on september 30. fornt to voice my support the harmful algal bloom control act, which would reauthorize this crucial program. i have worked with colleagues to include amendments to this bill to ensure we are not only studying these harmful events, but are arming local communities with the tools to address their water quality challenges. th the senate has taken action and pass the bill, and now we need to get it across the finish line. we need to acknowledge and act on the urgency of our national harmful algae boom crisis. i look forward to hearing from our expert witnesses about the increasing challenges and what we can do to best respond from the local to the national level.o thank you. >> thank you, senator baldwin. we have the ranking member of the entire commerce committee, senator nelson, i know this is an issue that he cares about

so senator nelson, if you would like toke make an opening, statement as well, the floor is yours. >> thank you, mr. chairman. may we insert into the committee record, letters that weha i have received from floridians which will document the extent that the harmful algae blooms have suddenly enveloped in florida to a green slime that then, when it down some of the freshwater streams and rivers, meets with a phenomenon that occurs of bacteria out in the gulf of mexico called red tide, which appears periodically as the red tide

has this year. and then is fueled by the extra nutrients in the water causing the algae growth of the freshwater river that supercharges the bacteria into what we are now experiencing that most peopleos have seen the dead fish, the dead mammals of which has been an additional plague on florida thiss year. >> without objection with regard to the letter. and so, florida is facing an environmental and w economicrd harm where toxic algae is codingg both coasts. the lifeguards are having to declare that you can stay at the beach on y the stand, but you can't go into the water.

it's killing all matter of sea life, and it is making people sick and obviously, as a result hurting businesses. on the east coast, a town called stewart which is the mouth of the st. lucie river, i've talked to the parents who have worried about letting their children play outside and the business owners who are worried about the algae and what it will mean forom their bottom line, how about bait and tackle shop,ab how about anything associated with the beach or fishing. , a stack of letters that i handed to you, lette me just read one line from one of the letters, christine muller, the new owner of the snook cut

bait and tackle shop in cape coral on the west coast. quote, all those hundreds and thousands of dead fish due tose the red tide in the algae bloom decided not to go alone. they have taken all my business along with them. that debate and tackle shop. ours story, sugary white beach sand should be right now lined with tourists, but instead they are aligned with dead and rotting sea life, casualties from a the massive toxic redto tide event. it has now lasted ten months. over 2000 tons of dead fish and sea life have been removeden from r nearly 150 miles of

florida's well renowned beaches. dead tarpon, dead manatees, a dead will shark. the pictures are certainly horrifying enough, but in person, and i'm a native floridian, five generations, it breaks my heart to see our beaches and rivers like this, and it's not a partisan issue. that bill that you talked about, that i introduced a year ago, we passed it. we can never get the house to get off dead center to pass it. senator rubio and i are on that bill together.pa it's not a partisan issue. we have worked with colleagues regardless of party for the good of our states, and we want to secure funding for research on the algae bloomslo

and the projects to restore things like the river of grass, the florida everglades, which sends the water south as mother nat intended, instead of having to dump itf to the east and to the west,he and when it goes through that river of grass, it is cleansed so when w it comes out in the florida bay down by the keys,is or when it goes in the river slough, it comes out on the west coast in the gulf of mexico and its clean water. that's why we are pushing sog hard, let's get the house off the dime to pass exactly what you said. senator portman and i introduced that bill last year endd it passed the senate unanimously. last week i join my colleaguesll in filing a bill to require coordinated, scientific

strategy to address the toxic algae in florida. these are pieces of a broader puzzle and as we act at the federal level to restoring, trying to clean up the environment, the state, the state have to do their part. states are invested with theta responsibility of water quality and so, i want to thank the chairman for convening this hearing today, and i also want to welcome our witness, patrick, he lived in wisconsin, but he also comes down to florida to fish. >> i hope he gets up to alaska to fish as well. >> and i know he's going to have a great perspective on this. >> thank you, mr. chairman.

>> thank you, senator nelson, and as you indicated, we do have four outstanding witnesses. i want to thank them all for essentially again giving us insights on an oversight hearing that we thinkgh is very important and a senator nelson mentioned very bipartisan. next is mr. ivory, director of special projects and lead engineer research labs, we also have mr. brian stubbs the cleveland water alliance. each of you will have fivewi

minutes and a longer written statement included for the record if you so choose. mr. anderson, we will begin with you. the floor is yours. >> thank you, mr. chairman and members of the subcommittee. i'm a scientist who has been studying red tides and algae blooms for over 40 years. i'm also director of the office. the keyal message for me, for you, take away message is that in their various forms are a truly national problem that requires a comprehensive national research monitoring and mitigation strategy.y. when events like the red and green tide is happening and capture the attention of thede

public, the media and congress, and the temptation for funding on hand and it ignores the need to balance sustained national support that will enable other regions respond to similar outbreaks that will inevitably occur elsewhere in thehe country. had prominent in everyone's mind right now are these ongoing red and green tights that are causing so much devastation in thees state. i fully understand and i'mn sympathetic here, but we only at a few recent cases to seely the diversity and the complexity and the severity of outbreaks nationally. some of you have mentioned some, i'll mention a few h others. on 2015, a bloom of one half species stretch from alaska to central california. that species produces a neurotoxin that causes brain damage and permanent memory

loss in humans and wildlife that eat contaminated seafood.od that close the dungeness crab and shellfish fisheries with economic losses on the order of $30 million to california and 23 million in washington alone. the next year, the very same organism bloom for the first time in new england causing shellfish closures in three states. of direct interest to the chairman, including the bering sea and arctic ocean.th someone from my lab just returned and we're finding those organisms up there. those in the toledo water supply left nearly 500,000 people without drinking water for several days. a similar event in salemer oregon affected 150,000 people. resource managers nationwide

are facing increasing threat from multiple issues and poisoned syndromes, but these occur in different habitats at different times and different scales. ines most states, they lack the resources tore adequately respond so are in need of new approaches and tools. recognizing this and other challenges, my colleagues and i have worked a with federald agencies in congress to establisha a program. the funding for the base and competitive research program has led to a number of thingsth in detail. they include new sensors tow support detection and monitoring an early warning, greater understanding of bloom causes and dynamics leading to forecasting system, and promising newca blue control and mitigation strategies that i

could go on,n, but in the interest of time, i'm just going to close with a few. summary comments and recommendations. first ofrs all, have you are as serious and growing problem in the u.s., affecting every state in them union. they will not go away and are in community and diversity. the programming this but the level of funding for competitive and internal programs has fluctuatedy. significantly. even with the recent increases over the last several years, it remains well below what is needed for appropriate response. targeting scarce resources on each new outbreak is inefficient and limits theci responses elsewhere. what r we need is a coordinated national effort to focus research, personnel facilities and financial resources to thehe common goal of this comprehensive national strategy and the support

should be consistent and sustained freshwater cannot be addressed in that program. but they do not provide a clear path and does not authorize funding. like way, a clear mandate in funding is needed possibly unde under. [inaudible] i can speak on behalf of management communities and voicing appreciation to have research funding for proposed increases inn the fy 19 corporations and for passing

the research and control amendments for this commitment needs to grow and we believe that it strengthens competitive research programs,, working in coordination with enhanced agency for funding is a way to ensure the best strategies on this national problem. seconds with my testimony. >> thank you doctor anderson. >> thank you, mr. chairman. members of the subcommittee, for the opportunity to introduce myself, the director of special projects form maclean research labs. this is a manufacturer of sensors in massachusetts. nearly 50% of our products are shipped internationally in running off the wall business exporter of the year for 2015. my job as a technologist is to

identify and commercialize technologies for wider usein in the environmental monitoring communities, deployment of sensingab systems. as you've heard, harmful algae blooms are growing threat to our economy andou well-being. as such they have made significant investments in commercializing promising technologies for uses as early warning systems. increased demand for these products has required maclean to add new personnel and new capabilities. in addition to jobs created, we are proud to employ other local companies in welding, machining, optics, electronics and biotechnology. we are only one of the many small businesses acquiring technologies from independent labs for developing instruments in-house thatt are critical to the rise of the blue economy nationwide. maclean has been fortunate towi build on the successes of an investment in american ingenuity through our work

bringing technologies out of the lab and into the hands of users. this testimony will focus on t two of the newer thomasew biological sensing instruments that wein manufacture for therm detection of harmful algae blooms species and thehe toxins. it is important to note that development of these biosensors would not have been possible without the support ofwo government funding and philanthropic contributions. first is an instrument called the imaging i have cb. it was developed in massachusetts and licensed by maclean. a smart underwater microscope that takes pictures of microorganisms hns and water, image recognition similar to that used in airport that identifies potentially harmful algae algae immediately. the posted to theed internet for scientific collaboration.

identify and accounts individual cells so it can detect harmful algae blooms species and very low concentration. this allows managers to make informed decisions quickly based on the existing organisms and water. in the summer 2017, maclean partnered with the local agriculture farm to produce a study on the growing agriculture industry. up upon deployment near their oyster nursery, developing bloom was instantly detected in thelg water. rapid countermeasures and enabled them toth save their stock of oysters and according to the doctor, owner of the aqua farm, if the eye have cb wasn't the point, i most likely wouldn't have known thed, bloom started and most of the seed oysters and nursery would have died. if the u.s. is to be used it's output while maintaining the highest standards for seafood safety, we must consider how these tools can assist in enhancinghe protection efforts and event response.

the second instrument i wish to introduces environment of sample or efp. developed at the monterey bay aquariumre institute in california and is also licensed by maclean. the instrument is a robotic system used to detect harmful algae and the toxins. efp is deployed underwater to perform genetic testsd atomicall atomically, determining whether certain speciesti are present and at what concentration. it alsoso detect harmful algae bloom toxins directly, having great benefit to drinking water protection and monitoring. fromill generate data the field in a matter of hours after sampling. it significantly faster than traditional mat method. it's routinely deployed in the northwest, north atlantic and most recently the greatee lakes. it acts asts an early warning system for harmful algae bloom and a critical data source for input into predictive models and operational forecast. maclean has continued innovation on the platform with direct support from

noah's pcm competitive research program. maclean is also made significant investments in exploring these technologies, and we would like to thankne our partners for their enduring support and capacity for innovation. thank you, mr. chairman and members of the subcommittee. i hope that my testimony has been helpful in highlighting a couple of these tools available for harmful detection and monitoring developed in cooperation with our partners and research teams that i welcome anyec questions that you or other members may have spread that concludes my testimony. >> thank you. >> good afternoon and thank you. i'm executive director of the cleveland water lines. we are water innovation blue economy economic development cost cluster consisting of aclcl coordinating group. [inaudible] we leverage our assetsr and resources to create are water innovation ecosystem that harnesses technology and spurs the economy and drives research. our work centers on the challengespu presented by

harmful algae blooms. represents a significant and complex challenge that is directly impacting human, economic, societal and environmental health. in particular, thegngn. central basins which include source bringing water for millions ofhi our citizens while driving billions of output are impacted by annual outbreaks. in recent years that led to several temporary do not drink warnings. if left unchecked. to overcome this challenge cleveland water alliance with supportcl from regional partners in ohio and washington is spearheading a technical approach to addressing it by making the great lakes smart starting with lake erie. lake has

infrastructure that transforms diverse data streams into usable tools to enable more effective management actions up through the watershed. we launched a a series of innovation challenges to supportgr this effort. in october 2017, we began work to facilitate an early warning system from a prototype deployed rapidly on the hills of the w toledo other cases to a sustainable long-term program with stable funding and support system operations and maintenance.up m it includes numerous buoys andou lambaste sensors for tracking d levels of dangerous toxins produced by bacteria that blame each year along withri

specialized software, web data products, digital portals and market-based solutions. it works with more than two dozen drinking water utilities including leveraging data to provide analytics for more effective utility operations. into the warning system. in march of this year, we cemented a $3 million proposal to the national science foundation entitled smart and connection system pilot submitted through this program the goal of the smart lakein pilot is to leverage the urgency to address nutrient loading, nonpoint nutrient and watershed management by building the first demonstration smart lake, a new breed of smart infrastructure that enables water management to propose includes one sensor, unmanned

vehicles and advanced algorithms to understand water quality dynamics as a relates to nutrient loading and provide real-time feedback for policy and management actions on land. it will also leverage smart and connected infrastructure to identify hotspots and predatory vision of future projects and allow real-time responses to events. also develop user facing smart and connected products to inform and empower the actions of institutional users and the general public. in conclusion, solutions to the growingng water challenge why in part t with the development and adoption of new tools, technologies and approaches, yet investment and water innovation as compared to other sectors is extremely low. it has a key role to play in addressing the challenge. in addition to dedicated technology driven funding, parity solutions should include iot based technology, new sensorr development and new andic cost-effective sensors, advanced networking solutions, data as a service,da

market-driven solutions along with appropriate use of dataan and data analytics, allme leading to real-time feedback loop systems for nutrient management actionsng alongcr tho tools that will serve to educate and inform citizens and policymakers. a dedicated, organized funding effort will improve outcomes and reduce costs and drive collaborative investment from the private sector, accelerate economicrtduat development and transform data intosf insight. we like to say data is water infrastructure. i appreciate your time and the s subcommittee and i'm happy to answer any questions. thank you. >> thank you mr. stubbs. mr. and i. >> good afternoon mr. chairman. ranking members, senator baldwin, and other members of the subcommittee. : : : thank you for the opportunity to testify.

i'm executive director of the national professional anglers association and president an of the futureon anglers association. why have i follow this path? because i have a passion foru theso outdoors. he will dominate my life and the life of many others in the state of wisconsin. i believe of the 49 million anglers in thiss country, passion and concern surrounding the future ofan ours sport run rampant.ar i am here today to share my concerns. first-hand knowledge, yesterday as i wasas putting together this oral statement, we had a heavy rainfall, for half inches in an hour.

that can have a very that mental effect. growing up in madison, there's a chain of lakes there, they were lakes that i often frequented when i was growing up. they were affected by algae blooms, even at the time i was a young child. recently, my wife sarahnt and i went and finished on lake winnebago during a walleye tournament during the first week of july. it was not a pleasant experience. :g : : here we could actually fish, and not have an issue with the algae that was running rampant. my wife turned to me and said, we are not going to come back here in 30 days for the championship that we did qualify for. what is even more scary is that 35 of the 90 teams that qualify

ied that event chose not to fish as well, because of the algae bloom. algae blooms are naturally occurring. green bay was named green bay because there was an algae bloom when the explorers founded in the 1800s. but warmer temperatures, record rainfall have contributed to the worst algae blooms in recent memory. algae blooms in florida have likely contributed to this year's red tide event. i'm not a scientist. i'm not here to testify as we should've known better should've been i have to work now tell 530b after that. but jensen said the jordan creek yonkers has a lot of stuff to give phil for cheap. in jackie's cousin just texted her and gave they are giving a table away for free. should've better today okay. i have to work an extra half hour because of the police chase so it'll be about so i'm about 4045 minutes schedule. angle >> and things like water skiers, and the blooms cause economiclos loss to those communities of the blooms.

and including respiratory distress and infections and inlu florida there is discharges from lake okeechobee and the blue-green algae blooms have most likely contributed to their red tide event going on that is talked about. nationally what is at risk in my opinion the percentage of $125 billion angling and voting contribute to the national economy. in conclusion, i feel i feel that the lg blooms are somethinf and to give out a solution toocy but for that urban sprawlange ar commercial farming and climate change causes the outbreaks to restationevere. like the great lakes restoration

initiative is harmful and with those probe what programs that advance that understanding i applaud the senate for passing s1057 as a research and control amendment act of 2017 and i hope the house will quickly pass al m similar legislation. i have had a passion my entire life is what i live to do.our the outdoor culture in this country increases the quality of life and life and makes our country unique.ect our aqtic reso but thenur to look at future gender -- generations.

se but to thank you to the witnesses in the panelist sot this is one of the most important one that you mentioned that the czar cycles that are occurring for centuries so what are some of the gaps with that scientific understanding and what is your recommendation on how we address those gaps? i will open this up to anyone. doctor anderson? >> thank you mr. chairman. the list is long but i will saye

that we do know quite a bit about many of these outbreaks around the country. but if i choose just a few as the example like florida one of the gaps there the first is what is fueling that bloom and getting it going so long?ing so these are plans they require nutrients. and what fuels those blooms blooms t corida is in a differentnaturae situation where it could be coming from fertilizer and it takes very targeted attempts tot

see what nutrient is happening there and that is a gap that needs to be addressed but also another one is the termination of blooms is a big gap a big gap ow understand how they start anh bloom but how they end remains another history.if i cou go ba now if i go back up to alaska i could say another big scientific gap is what is happening as the waters warm in certain areas? i believe the arctic is thehea place where a lot of the action is happening to the species extending their region that is still a hypothesis a hypothesis but it is a huge gap to understand to be ahead of those problems before they move into those areas. or those are just scientific gaps i would suggest.

>> any other witnesses want to talk to that issue in terms of the understanding?? >> for the great lakes in. particular a lot of the research has been we know what is causini this. not to say we didn't have blue-green to hundred years ago, we did but we have never seen at this level. tas to do w it has to do with nutrienth this loading. we know phosphorus versus available reactive phosphorus. we do have a lot of those answers. from herer research standpoint needs two angles. those awers. one on understanding how does it

go up the watershed to better understand how this comes up ans over use of phosphorus and drain tiles we need to do more technology on the innovation like those training tiles to capture the phosphorus or the nitrogen to be absorbed we have humainking.this is in all of usi problem we all need the lands to be productive but we all need to do research around their. >> anyone else on that issue? thank you. senator? >> i would like to start that i appreciate the talk of your experience of the riche lung -- recent fishing tournament at

artinginnebago you are alsoyou,. somebody who runs a for-profitle trying to bring up the nextrying husiration of enthusiasticnt anglers. so as you work to get that next generation out on the water, how do you see these algae lg blooms impacting your work in respect? >> the issue comes up when we are at and event that we support so our members go out to share the passion with young anglers and their families and we learne what happened when we had a blue it is spoken about frequently. one of the things you make sure we do is to engage those that attend the future angular eventd showing how they affect the

ecosystem we discussed algae as well.us we are all in this together. this is this is something that algae bl be addressed and it is critical that we address these harmful algae blooms with the effective utilization of the resource and this next generation of anglers coming up we want to have pleasant experiences on the expe water and it will not happen if the lg blooms are occurring to the degree they have been in the past.as wasentd >> thank you. lake erie has become in some ways a poster child but as i

mentioned in my opening statement we are seeing more from lake michigan and lake superior. concerned for those millionsllo of people that depend on the great lakes for their source of drinking water and the jobs across the region in them. ecosystem. you and i'm curious how the alliance have been working to help the lake erie communities pass similar solutions to be adapted to the communities with the other great lakes when does that fit and when does it not fit?? >> i think it's always a fit but as you put it it is the posterlt child within the great lakeshis region even coming out of the river catching on fire now we have these companies in northeast ohio similarly we

could do the same thing by doing innovative solutions. right now we are taking part inn a sim unique program finding uso work with all of the community foundation surrounding the greas lakes. we we made a recommendation about embracing technology as part of this we have gotten it through to convince lake erie board now it is going to the other four great lakes area so with l that absolutely we are moving forward but it comes down to capacity and resources having everybody on the same page but organizations like the great lakes commission or protection fund we have been pushing them l to work more collaboratively. that is the key thing i know we. have relationships with water councils and another economy

called current and we will doups that by rolling up our sleeves to shower on the share ourshari collaborations because lake erie is all connected 20% of the world's fresh surface water.aldwin, >> mr. chairman and ranking member thank you for holding this meeting we share concerns of the great lakesi share co ane seen these blooms as you have mentioned it makes it appear yourblooms, as michigan all thee islands and in wisconsin. normally we didn't think that would happen thinking lake erie is a shallow and warmer body of water but it is a cold bodysupe industry this doesn't seem likee the same types ofmely mechanicst

yet something significant is happening we appreciate your testimony as we try to deal with this. doctor anderson you mentioned yourimony a support cosponsorina senatorm nelson that his past n is before the house getting some resistance from some in the house that have suggested that there are already too many federal agencies involved inl this research how do you respond to that to those who make a critique?ond to fol >> thank you for that opportunity critiques? because o has been down here many timesims talking to various delegations and government agencies and program managers, that authorization is very, very important. there is scarce money within with competing hands out and having that

authorization for this program sends a message to the people to some of those discretionary funds. and having that authorization lapse would be terrible we havet built up thehat program that ha that backing. you can see the stories we areen hearing basically involve every state in the country. i think we deserve that legislation and not have that die. >> you also mentioned various regions for alaska in particular the climate change that could be contributing to the outbreak?pet >> i think the great lakes in ae freshwaterlakes and systemk talk about climate change for a lot of us is not clear what will

happen. pete species will start moving north but it is clear causingste problems in the warmer climate they grow better than all of the competing species whether bacteria or other algae.yanos lo they like it hot. and it's true. they grow well. given that is the problem the great lakes will face withs are bacteria then yes even with the cold and deep lake superior you will see the. >> we are starting to see this alreadytor: that's prob yes eves well a lot of species are moving

up and i think i think of all bie species moving into the region none of them are as big of a a threat to the indigenous community as that. >> the other question i have related is you mentioned then spreading as a result we have ae issue senator baldwin and i have raised other issues can you speak to the danger of not effectively controlling the water it with was that means to spread these toxic organisms? >> no question the discharge isv a potential way to move the species into areas with scientific papers to documenteny this.

the strategies with that type of situation and in alaska they are very resistant and then most of the year it is at the bottom of the ocean but then the general general -- germinates and thenst is transferred all over so theyt don't require a lot of things that is a great place and theny when they are discharged and to make sure wyatt is discharged in safe and the great lakes basin

or the watershed? i agree. i should have said that as welle with that great lakes system it concern.me exact >> senator?a >> i want to ask a follow-up dealing in your testimony that tools for predicting. i. i represent a state onto great

lakes lake michigan and lake superior mississippi on the west laket in st. croix river and the biggest lake is lake winnebago biggest so we are all in between and it seems it can be dynamic with them shifting rapidly but the unpredictability might make it difficult for public officials to issue timely warnings to moachgoers or businesses.eing so what areni the challenges to predict and monitor to assess the great lakes butt aalswiothin the great lakes b wh the inland waters? what? what does it take to improve our testing capabilities? that is addressed to anybody on the panel who wants to jump in. >> i'm happy to take that.

we are still working on a program right now. what we are finding as we buildo the infrastructure for the warningg system it comes down tm sensors we need more real-time also affordable sensors in thesn waters. it is limited in what we can afford to put out there right now so as an example the maclean's environmental sample process we have one we haverderd ordered for the great lakes research lab it will take here just to finish assembling and ig half $1 million we are out there exploring technology to take that potentially down at $20,000 with that innovation we can as wdrive downt in the same breath we are leveraging the sector with that sort ofit

intelligence bringing that into the watershed. that is an example to help usace bring up those analytics and you can't do this in a research labp with the water utilities on lake erie is amazing how they have band-aids solutions togetherreal-time nitori with the real-time monitoring solutions we have to get througo data shar ding to those utilitis that encourage that.s we know how to do this is just putting the pieces together.t. >> thank you to the witnesses we have a vote coming up so we have to cut it a little short. the hearing record will remain open two weeks during this time senators may submit additional questions upon receipt witnesses

are respectfully requested to submit their answers to the committee as soon as possible thank you for appearing today this is an important issue seen as a bipartisan a bipartisan interest not just gaining knowledge but the actions we need to take. ta to senator? you made it at the buzzer.a lot ab i was this close to tapping but given that i know you care a lot about this issue the floor istor yours for additional questions. >> i appreciate that very much. thank you so much. first a big warm welcome to john anderson sr. scientist and the director of special projects at

mclean research. thank you for being here and for sharing your expertise. and when i say warm they state that what i mean. it is warm. and with the exception of up in the arctic it is the top of the list of the fastest growing body of water in the world so we have a big issue we have to deal with and today's hearing which is increasing because of warmer waters. last year. last year there was a study forecasting we will see moree d harmful blooms due to changes of rainfall and flooding and fertilizer runoff and that is a bad recipe.

dr. an do you agderee that climate cha increases the occurrence of the harmful blooms?? >> thank you senator markey. i agree it increases some of them but in fact it cuts both ways were forgets to warm some species may not be able to thrive there and will move north so that is happening with other organisms as well. so yes. so yes it can get worse and in some cases i do want to say thae usually there is another side as well but i do think the casetin with freshwater is crystal clear that warm is contributing to th. problem in the marine well known -- realm much more is seen as a movement more species in

rte gulf of maine we did not seo >> they are looking for warmer water or colder water? and if that causes any problems in florida or along the coast of maine last year. >> do they need higher levels of funding for research? and what senator baldwin asked about forecasting increasinggar with more blooms and more toxic syndrome and then to detect ando forecast to put that together sensors with better computer models think of the largeat

forecast it gives me a computer model where the rain is coming over the next two or three days with that computer model and the sensors out there measuring what is going on in the atmosphere we need that in the ocean. but once you get that infrastructure like the weather, service a, you can do that prediction and early-morning to mismanage this problem.like ther >> you say in your testimony help us that the lg blooms causing and maintaining a comprehensive network can be significant. can you break down the cost? >> that is a complex questionle and right now our industry is such a

niche that my company we do instruments at high dollar that if we can find the demand is aquaculture it is significant of other research initiatives andde not only ecological development forecasting and then to lower those costs with a myriad ofs ha there.ogies that are out >> and those to get the most accurate picture?

i don't want to. >> and it will only be good in certain areas.it wilood and with thonose surface blooms that are easy to see. with aom is specs are don't help us too much and it is toxic even when the water looks blue. buif you c can put those two togetheran that that will take about those storms.ther service

and also those that are measuring during the local level that is quite powerful. >> most importantly mr. anderson and with the senior golf champion? [laughter] . . . . [laughter] warming weather is definitely making it impossible. we thank you both, and we thank all of you for your great work. senator: thank you, senator markey. i want to thank the witnesses on an important issue. hopefully, as i mentioned earlier, you are seeing a bipartisan consensus on the need to fully understand this much better, but also to take action, and that is what this hearing is

focused on. again, i would ask that any additional questions that come to the witnesses, that the any questions that come to the witnesses from other senators who could not be at the hearing today or additional questions tha witnesses submit the written answers to the committee as soon as they can. thank you for a veryne informative hearing. the theory is now adjourned. [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] join a tv live coverage of the h annual library of congress national book festival saturday starting at 10:00 a.m. eastern. our coverage includes colons from our set at the washington convention center with closer prize-winning bagger for john and his book the soul of america, the better for our -- [inaudible] fox news host brian with his book andrew jackson and the

miracle of new orleans. the battle that shaped america's destiny. watch the 18th annual library of congress national book festival live on c-span2 put tv. saturday at 10:00 a.m. eastern. >> for the house and senate return for legislative work on tuesday. then the house members returned from their summer district court. they are expected to consider bills on student loan debt counseling, exporting liquid natural gas and they will swear in a new member, republican troy balderson who one special election for ohio's 12 district for the senate lawmakers continue work on nominations with floats for securities and exchange commission member and several u.s. district court judges. watch the house live on c-span and the senate live on c-span2. >> a new study is out on how different generations, baby boomers, generation x and