The Brunswick Executive Airport will receive a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to renovate and redevelop a hangar for use by aerospace companies, according to a statement from U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree’s office.BXM is currently equipped with two 8,000-foot runways, 650,000 square feet of hangar space and maintenance facilities, over 103 […]
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The Brunswick Executive Airport will receive a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to renovate and redevelop a hangar for use by aerospace companies, according to a statement from U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree's office.
BXM is currently equipped with two 8,000-foot runways, 650,000 square feet of hangar space and maintenance facilities, over 103 acres of taxiways and aircraft parking apron space, an advanced glycol recovery de-icing system, jet engine test and maintenance facilities and a new instrument landing system. It's located at Brunswick Landing, a business campus located at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, a 3,200-acre property with close to 2 million square feet of commercial and industrial space, as well as the aviation complex.
“It's exciting to see this hangar renovated so it can support the growing aerospace industry in Maine,” Pingree said in announcing the grant. “It helps create and preserve the good-paying jobs that we need in our state.”
Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration granted $2.65 million to support upgrades and developments at BXM.
Funding in the works for young researchers
A bill that would aid young researchers will be introduced by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
Collins, working with U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., said the bipartisan Next Generation Researchers Act would invest in the future of research, science and innovation. It would respond to what Collins says is the worst research-funding drought in 50 years. They plan to introduce it when the Senate is back in session.
“This bipartisan bill strengthens our nation's commitment to the next generation of cutting-edge researchers,” said Collins. “Maintaining our nation's competitive edge in both research and innovation depends greatly on the strength of our commitment to attracting, cultivating, and equipping world-class scientific minds. This critical investment will help to empower these young innovative researchers in Maine and across our country with the resources they need to continue to lead the world in groundbreaking scientific research and development.”
If passed, the legislation would create the “Next Generation Researchers Initiative” within the National Institutes of Health. The senators said over the past decade the NIH's purchasing power has declined by 22%. This year along, Sequestration cuts will cut $1.5 billion from the NIH budget.
“Current policies are putting the brakes on research and innovation, jeopardizing our country's leadership,” Sens. Collins and Baldwin said.
Young researchers are particularly hard hit by cuts, they said. The average age of a first-time NIH grant recipient is 42 years old — up from 36 in 1980.
“Scientific and medical innovation depends on our ability to foster and support the best and brightest scientific minds,” they added, “and our researchers deserve to know that our country stands with them.”
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