Federal cuts threaten UMaine lab
A research laboratory at the University of Maine is slated to close and its 18 employees left jobless, now that its federal funding has been cut.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's New England Plant, Soil and Water Laboratory in Orono will close in the coming weeks, and its seven scientists and other staff will be laid off, spokesperson Sandy Miller Hays told the Bangor Daily News. The lab, part of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, studies sustainable and environmentally sound crop systems, is the only one in the region. Last week, Congress approved $6 billion in spending cuts as part of its ongoing effort to reach consensus on a national budget, which included $44 million that funds the lab and 46 similar facilities across the country. Hays said the lab's employees have halted research work and are limited to reviewing data and doing paperwork.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is attempting to reinstate the funding and keep the lab open. Kevin Kelley, her communications director, told the paper that funding for the lab and its counterparts was mistakenly labeled as an earmark and was not meant to be included in the cuts. Meanwhile, Hays said she is working to help find the lab's affected employees jobs at other USDA research facilities.
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