Dear Colleagues, May
18, 2009
This is the 2nd email sent to those in the U.S. thought to have interest in
freshwater harmful algal blooms (FHABs) by Drs. Ken Hudnell and Wayne
Carmichael. As of today, over 440 people have joined our informal coalition to
support the introduction and enactment of the proposed Freshwater Harmful Algal
Bloom Research & Control Act of 2009 (FHAB Act). The Act will mandate that the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establish a National Freshwater
Harmful Algal Bloom Research Plan (FHABRP). The plan is needed to obtain the
scientific information required by the Agency to make regulatory determinations
and established Federal policy for FHABs. The proposed FHAB Act is modeled
after the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (1998, 2004)
that directed the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
to establish a research plan for coastal HABs. FHAB Act funds would be
administered through the three competitive, research grant programs established
by NOAA - ECOHAB, MERHAB & PCM HAB.
We respectfully ask for your support and help in getting the FHAB Act
introduced and passed this year. We ask that you:
Now
- Click here to read and sign letters of support addressed to the Congressional
House and Senate committees that will introduce and advance the FHAB Act.
After entering your personal information once (name, title, mailing address,
email address and telephone number), it will be added at the bottom of both
letters, and they will be Emailed to Andy Garfinkel, an environmental lobbyist
in Washington, D.C., with "HAB letter" in the subject line. Mr. Garfinkel will
hand deliver stacks of letters to the committees' staff;
- forward this email to everyone you know that has an interest in freshwater
HABs, and ask them to respond to Dr. Hudnell with "Join" in the subject line if
they would like to be added to this email list;
Later
- be prepared to call or write letters to staff at the offices of your state's
senators and congressmen. If you call, ask to speak with the Legislative
Assistant who handles environmental policy for the Congressperson or Senator.
If you are asked, the request is to discuss "authorizing language" not
appropriations. Explain the issue to the person, and ask him or her to explain
it to the legislator, or request a meeting with him or her and the legislator.
Request that they notify the committees named in the letters to Congress that
the legislator supports the FHAB Act. The intent is to have at least one staff
member in each Congressional office understand the FHAB issue. I'm told that
no campaign has ever achieved this before, but I believe we can do it.
We have established the website -
http://www.FreshwaterHABlegislation.com to support our effort to enact the FHAB
Act. The website will archive all Emails to this list and Congressional
letters we prepare, enable others to join our coalition, sign and send
Congressional letters, and identify the appropriate Congressional staff in
their state to call or write in support of the FHAB Act. The website also will
facilitate your signing the Congressional letters and Emailing them to Mr.
Garfinkel.
We also established a Twitter page so that you can easily view
progress updates. After signing in to Twitter, enter Freshwater_HABs in the
search box to view our page.
This email list will be used only infrequently. The addresses are in
the blind copy address field to ensure that they will not be used for other
purposes.
The effort to enact the FHAB Act and the views expressed here are personal and
not those of any organization.
If you do not want to receive future emails, please respond with "decline" in
the subject line, and I will remove your name and address from the list.
Thank you for considering our request. We greatly appreciate any help you are
able to offer.
Sincerely,
_______________________________________________
Dr. John D. Wehr, Professor & Director
Louis Calder Center - Biological Field Station
Fordham University, PO Box 887
53 Whippoorwill Road, Armonk, NY 10504 USA
voice: 914-273-3078, ext. 11; fax: 914-273-2167
http://www.fordham.edu/calder_center/wehr/wehr1.html
_______________________________________________
