Please contact Dr. H Kenneth Hudnell (919) 932-7229

Congressional Testimony and Election to National Harmful Algal Bloom Committee

July 12, 2008

SolarBee’s Vice President & Director of Science, Dr. H Kenneth Hudnell, gave invited testimony on harmful algal blooms (HABs) to the U.S. House of Representative’s Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, on July 10, 2008 (Click for House Press Release). Earlier this month, he was elected to the National Harmful Algal Bloom Committee (NHC), headquartered at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Dr. Hudnell informed the Congressional Subcommittee on:

• Freshwater HAB cells and their toxins
• Freshwater HAB risks for human health and ecosystem sustainability
• Approaches to freshwater HAB control
• The need for improved legislation to comprehensively address HABs from freshwater (EPA jurisdiction) to oceans (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) jurisdiction

Testimony provided by Dr. Hudnell, two Congressmen and three other scientists, was followed by 1.5 hours of questions and answers concerning the need to authorize and appropriate funds for scientific research that will produce solutions for controlling HABs in all of our Nation’s waters. Whereas NOAA led the development of a National Research Plan for addressing HABs in oceans, estuaries and the Great Lakes, the EPA has not developed a National Research Plan for addressing HABs in our rivers, streams, ponds, reservoirs and other lakes. Freshwater HABs produce some of the most potent toxins known, posing significant risks to human health and ecosystem sustainability. There is widespread agreement that the occurrence of freshwater HABs is rapidly increasing in the U.S. and worldwide. Control strategies should target the HAB requirements of nutrients and quiescent, stagnant water.

The NHC is composed of leading scientists conducting freshwater and marine HAB research. Dr. Hudnell advocates for a coordinated approach to HAB research in all of our Nation’s waters.

About SolarBee, Inc.:
SolarBee is a world leader in improving water quality, and has pioneered radial long-distance circulation (LDC) technology. Today SolarBee is using LDC to solve water quality problems in fresh water lakes, wastewater lagoons, storm water ponds, potable water storage tanks and reservoirs, and is reducing or even eliminating the need for toxic chemicals. SolarBee LDC equipment uses solar instead of grid power, resulting in significant energy savings. Over 1,400 SolarBee LDC units have been installed around the world, and with over 250 lakes cleaned up in the freshwater market alone, SolarBee is truly “Circulating the World’s Water”.