WASHINGTON – Saying toxic blue-green algae is spreading across upstate New York waterways, damaging local economies, tourism, fishing and recreation, US Senator Charles Schumer said on Wednesday he wants the USDA to provide funding to kill off the algae and prevent it from spreading.
He said in the Hudson Valley, there were 37 reports of the algae outbreaks in 26 bodies of water.
The job of protecting the state’s environment is up to the New
York Department of Environmental Conservation and while Schumer said the
agency is doing okay, he would like the federal government to help out.
“DEC has done a good job; I don’t have any complaint with them,” the senator said. “One of these programs would actually give resources to DEC to them distribute to the localities. The other goes right to the localities, but it’s a joint effort, federal, state and localities, to try to get rid of this.”
Schumer said there is funding administered by the USDA as stipulated in the 2014 farm bill that would help reduce the algae proliferation.
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