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 _______________________________________________