When algae bloom in significant  numbers and produce toxic or harmful effects, such events are termed  HABs. Twelve Federal Agencies Reported Expending Roughly $101 Million from Fiscal Years 2013 through 2015 on Various HAB-Related Activities

Twelve federal agencies expended an estimated total of roughly $101  million from fiscal years 2013 through 2015 to fund various HAB-related  activities—such as research and analysis, forecasting, surveillance and  monitoring, outreach, and response—according to data reported by the  agencies. Based on the data, the 5 agencies with the largest HAB- related expenditures for this period—totaling roughly $86 million—were  NOAA ($39.4 million), NSF ($15.4 million), EPA ($14.5 million), USGS  ($9.0 million), and NIEHS ($8.0 million). In addition, other agencies—such as FDA, CDC, and NASA—expended  millions of dollars funding activities to address HABs, associated with  their respective missions. For example, from fiscal years 2013 through  2015, NASA reported expending nearly $2 million on basic and applied  research to use satellite imagery to improve the detection of algal blooms. Federal Agencies Reported Coordinating HAB- Related Activities in a Variety of Ways

Federal officials reported that their agencies coordinate in a variety of  ways with each other and with state, international, and academic  stakeholders to share information, expertise, and opportunities for  collaboration on HAB-related activities. In addition, federal agencies participate in numerous groups, task forces,  and other coordination efforts led by federal agencies, states,  international organizations, or academics (see table 3 for examples of  these efforts). Furthermore, federal officials reported a number of  partnerships between two or more federal agencies (federal interagency  partnerships) directly related to their HAB work in recent years. For  example, NIEHS and NSF have collaborated and provided joint funding  for some HAB-related research projects since 2005. Agency Comments

We provided a draft of this report to the Departments of Agriculture,  Commerce, Defense, Health and Human Services, and the Interior; EPA;  NASA; NSF; and the Executive Office of the President for review and  comment. GAO staff who contributed to this report are listed in  appendix V.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope and Methodology

This report examines (1) how much federal agencies expended on  activities related to marine and freshwater harmful algal blooms (HAB),  and the types of activities funded, from fiscal years 2013 through 2015;  and (2) how federal agencies have coordinated their HAB-related  activities with each other and with nonfederal stakeholders. Some agencies provided  actual expenditure data, while other agencies provided estimated  expenditure data or obligated funding data. To determine how federal agencies coordinate their HAB-related activities  with each other and with nonfederal stakeholders, we collected and  analyzed information from the agencies through interviews and our  questionnaire on (1) their participation with each other and nonfederal  stakeholders in interagency working groups or other mechanisms to  share information and coordinate on HABs research, monitoring, or other  activities; (2) efforts taken by federal agencies to minimize duplication;  and (3) gaps, if any, in federal HAB-related activities. In the past several years, CDC has  been involved with a number of HAB-related activities, including the  following:  collaborating with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric  Administration (NOAA) to engage citizen scientists to identify and  report freshwater HAB events;  collaborating with NOAA to improve a module to forecast  cyanobacterial blooms; providing technical assistance and expert guidance to states that  convening a workgroup to identify surveillance indicators and  measures for bloom events and public health consequences; developing health surveillance definitions for reporting HAB-related  human cases of illnesses, animal cases of illness, and HAB events;  creating the One Health Harmful Algal Bloom System, a nationally  available, online system for health agencies and their animal and  environmental health agency partners to report HAB-related illnesses  in animals and people, and the environmental conditions associated  with the HABs; providing resources to state health departments to build capacity for  HAB-related illness surveillance; and  creating a CDC website about HAB-associated illnesses  (http://www.cdc.gov/habs/). The Drinking Water Protection Act (Pub. Legal Authority to Address HABs

According to agency officials, NSF’s authority to address HABs is  provided under the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as  amended, 42 U.S.C. Since 2014, the Interagency Working Group on the  Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (IWG- HABHRCA) has been the primary, government-wide mechanism through  which federal agencies coordinate their HAB-related activities, develop  plans for future work, and identify remaining gaps related to federal HAB  activities and capabilities. Environmental Protection: Coordinated Federal Efforts Are Being  Undertaken to Address Harmful Algae.
Why GAO Did This Study

Harmful algal blooms are an environmental problem in all 50 states, according to EPA. While algae are essential to the ecosystem, providing food for all types of animals, these blooms can produce toxins that hurt the environment and local economies. Specifically, they can cause human illness or death from the consumption of seafood or water contaminated by toxic algae; harm aquatic and other animal species through neurological or liver damage or severe oxygen depletion; and hurt the seafood industry, recreation, and tourism. Harmful algal blooms occur naturally, but their prevalence, frequency, and severity are increasing—and this increase is influenced by climate, pollution, and human activities such as agriculture and wastewater, according to an interagency working group report.
The Drinking Water Protection Act included a provision for GAO to review federally funded activities related to harmful algal blooms. This report examines (1) how much federal agencies expended on these activities from fiscal years 2013 through 2015 and (2) how federal agencies coordinate their activities with each other and with nonfederal stakeholders. GAO collected information from federal agencies by using a questionnaire and interviewing agency officials.
GAO provided a draft of this report to the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Health and Human Services, and the Interior; EPA; NASA; and the Executive Office of the President for comment. Most of the agencies provided technical comments, which were incorporated as appropriate.

What GAO Found

Twelve federal agencies reported expending an estimated total of roughly $101 million from fiscal years 2013 through 2015 to fund various research, monitoring, and other activities related to harmful algae—overgrowths of algae that can create toxic “blooms” in marine or freshwater environments. The agencies provided a mix of actual and estimated expenditure data and used different methods for collecting the data, making comparisons among agencies, and a federal total, inexact. Based on the data, the 5 agencies with the largest expenditures related to harmful algal blooms for this period—totaling roughly $86 million—were the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, $39.4 million; National Science Foundation (NSF), $15.4 million; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), $14.5 million; U.S. Geological Survey, $9 million; and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), $8 million. According to agency officials, these 5 agencies funded efforts to research and analyze harmful algal blooms; forecast, monitor, and respond to their occurrence; and investigate human and ecological health effects. In addition, other agencies expended millions of dollars funding activities to address harmful algae. For example, from fiscal years 2013 through 2015, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration reported expending nearly $2 million on research to improve the detection of algal blooms using satellite imagery.
Federal officials reported that their agencies coordinate in a variety of ways with each other and with nonfederal stakeholders to share information, expertise, and opportunities for collaboration on activities to address harmful algae. For example, since 2014, an interagency working group has been the primary, government-wide mechanism through which federal agencies coordinate such activities, develop plans for future work, and identify any gaps in federal activities and capabilities. In addition, federal officials reported that agencies participate in numerous groups, task forces, and other coordination efforts led by federal agencies, states, international organizations, or academics. Furthermore, federal officials reported a number of interagency partnerships directly related to their harmful algae work, such as NIEHS' and NSF's collaboration since 2005 to jointly fund research projects.