Harmful algal blooms, sometimes called "red tides," are known to kill fish, marine mammals, and birds. They can contaminate shellfish with toxins and sicken swimmers and boaters. Red tides and dead zones, which are caused by another kind of algal bloom that sucks all the oxygen out of water when it dies and decomposes, appear dozens of times each year off our coasts and in our bays and freshwater lakes. Researchers have estimated that harmful algal blooms cost coastal communities nearly $100 million every year. These blooms forced the closure of Maine's shell fisheries for several months in 2009, costing over 3,000 jobs and shutting down a $50 million seasonal industry. They also killed more than four million fish off the coast of Texas, and over 10,000 sea birds off the northwest Pacific coast. The incidence and severity of these blooms is growing rapidly, driven by human causes such as nutrient pollution and the warming of our oceans and lakes by global climate change. Scientists have documented a 30-fold increase in the worldwide frequency of harmful algal blooms since 1960.

H.R. 3650, the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act, introduced by Representative Brian Baird (D-WA), would establish a national strategy for addressing harmful algal blooms and dead zones, and fund the development of regional research and action plans with the intent of improving our ability to detect, predict, and control harmful algal blooms and dead zones.

On March 12, the House passed H.R. 3650 by a vote of 251–103 (House roll call vote 109). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. The full Senate did not act on companion legislation, though a similar bill, S. 952, was passed by the Commerce Committee.