Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she advanced $7 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to establish an Aquaculture Workforce Innovation Center at the University of Maine (UMaine) in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) appropriations bill. The bill, which was officially approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today, now awaits consideration by the full Senate and House.
“Maine’s aquaculture industry has seen significant growth over recent years, but more needs to be done to support its expansion and economic opportunity in our State,” said Senator Collins. “This funding would strengthen UMaine's position as the nation’s premier research and training resource for the aquaculture industry. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”
“Our state is recognized nationally as a leader in cold-water aquaculture in great part due to UMaine’s expertise in aquatic animal health and fish nutrition research,” said University of Maine Aquaculture Research Institute Director Deborah Bouchard. “This federal funding would allow us to construct a state-of-the-art workforce training and testing center where UMaine faculty and student researchers, as well as land-based aquaculture businesses, can work together to develop the talent and innovation this growing industry needs to realize its full potential as an economic engine for Maine and a source of safe, sustainable protein for the world.”
Funding for this project would support the construction of the Aquaculture Workforce and Innovation Center, a 15,000 square foot, functional state-of-the-art cold-water demonstration, training, and research facility located on UMaine’s Orono campus.
This funding advanced through the markup of the FY24 CJS appropriations bill—an important formal step that a Senate Committee takes to move a bill to the floor for consideration by the full Senate. During a markup, members debate, amend, and vote on whether to advance legislation. It is a key part of regular order, which helps our government function efficiently and deliver results for the people of Maine and America.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.
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