Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2025

H.R. 644 would reauthorize and expand federal efforts to address harmful algal blooms and hypoxia—dangerously low oxygen levels—in marine, coastal, freshwater, and Great Lakes systems through fiscal year 2030. Harmful algal blooms are rapid algae growth that can produce toxins harmful to humans, wildlife, and aquatic ecosystems, and can damage local economies through fishing and tourism impacts.

The bill would require the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia to develop comprehensive action strategies every five years and would add the Department of Energy to the task force. It would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a national monitoring network to detect and forecast harmful algal blooms and create an incubator program to develop new prevention and control technologies. The Environmental Protection Agency would be tasked with developing and improving monitoring and forecasting programs specifically for freshwater harmful algal blooms in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs.

If enacted, these provisions would expand the federal government's scientific capacity to predict, prevent, and respond to algal bloom events that threaten water quality and public health. The bill is currently in committee and has not yet been voted on by the full House.