64 



Dr. Neushul. And Argentina. 



Mr. Hughes. Thank you. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Studds. Thank you, Dr. Neushul. 



Our next and final witness is Dr. Bud Brinkhuis, assistant re- 

 search professor at the Marine Sciences Research Center, the State 

 University of New York at Stony Brook, who is presenting testimo- 

 ny on behalf of Dr. Don Squires, director of the New York Sea 

 Grant Institute, the State University and at Cornell. 



STATEMENT OF BOUDEWIJN BRINKHUIS, RESEARCH PRO- 

 FESSOR, MARINE SCIENCES RESEARCH CENTER, STATE 

 UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, STONY BROOK, ON BEHALF OF 

 DON SQUIRES, DIRECTOR, NEW YORK SEA GRANT INSTITUTE, 

 STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AND CORNELL 

 UNIVERSITY 



Dr. Brinkhuis. What I would like to do is read into the record 

 Dr. Squires' testimony. He regrets that he can't be here today 

 because he has an annual site visit as part of the National Sea 

 Grant College program staff that he must attend yesterday and 

 today. 



I have been active in the field of oceanography for the last 30 

 years, with the last two decades as an active researcher and the 

 past 10 years as director of New York's Sea Grant College program. 



That program, a joint activity of the State University of New 

 York and Cornell University, has been a consequential factor in 

 the revitalization of New York's coastal region and in increasing 

 awareness of its economic potential. 



Conversion of marine biomass through methanogenesis offers a 

 very exciting opportunity for New York and its metropolitan 

 region. Development of this energy source would further diversify 

 the coastal productivity of the State and would be compatible with 

 other uses of our coastal zone. 



We are pleased to be a part of a budding program and intend to 

 be active participants in its conduct. In my comments, I speak for 

 myself, and not for the State University or Cornell. 



In other presentations at this hearing you will have heard of the 

 substantial progress being made on the west coast in the farming 

 of macrocystis or giant kelp as a feedstock for methanogenesis. 



This past summer a series of meetings between the Gas Research 

 Institute, General Electric Corp., the New York State Energy Re- 

 search and Development Authority, NYSEARCH, which is a public 

 utility-financed research arm of the gas companies, and Brooklyn 

 Union Gas resulted in a determination for New York State to move 

 ahead in marine biomass research. 



There is unanimity among all parties that marine biomass pro- 

 duction must be explored fully and without delay. The Sea Grant 

 Institute was asked to participate in these meetings as a repre- 

 sentative of the academic research community. Together with the 

 General Electric Corp., we have developed a research plan toward 

 the goal of test farming of marine biomass in New York State. 



Preliminary investigations under this plan were initiated in 

 June of this year, at a low level of funding. Final answers to some 



