WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry formally inviting him to visit the University of Maine. The visit would allow Secretary Perry to survey the ongoing work the University is doing in conjunction with DOE and key partners in the public and private sectors. Secretary Perry had previously indicated his willingness to visit UMaine to Senator King during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in January.

“The University of Maine is home to world-class facilities, including the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, which is an interdisciplinary research, education, workforce training, and economic development center home to some of the nation’s leading testing and research facilities for wind energy, wood composites, and other technologies,” Senators Collins and King wrote. “The Center includes the new Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Laboratory, a one-of-a-kind wind and wave testing facility that simulates deep water ocean conditions with applications for offshore energy development and ocean-based industries.”

In January, UMaine and DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) established a partnership to support innovation in Maine’s forest products industry, launching a collaborative model that brings together ORNL’s expertise in additive manufacturing and composites with UMaine’s focus on forest bio-based composites and other composite structures. The partnership is an important first step in responding to the recommendations offered by the federal Economic Development Assessment Team, which came at the request of Senators Collins and King to grow Maine’s rural economy and strengthen the forest products industry.

The complete text of the letter is below and can be read HERE.

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Dear Secretary Perry:

Congratulations on your recent confirmation. We are writing to formally invite you to the University of Maine to see firsthand the innovative work happening there in conjunction with the Department of Energy (DOE). As you are aware, there are a number of incredibly important partnerships that DOE is actively engaged in with the private sector and with universities across the country, and the University of Maine is one of those key partners. We appreciate your willingness to visit in response to Senator King’s invitation during your confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The University of Maine has partnered with DOE and private industry on a number of important initiatives in a relationship that has long been mutually beneficial. From the deployment of the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine prototype in North America, VolturnUS 1:8, and the development of the groundbreaking offshore wind demonstration project New England Aqua Ventus I, to the most recent partnership between the University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to advance innovative forest bio-based additive manufacturing, DOE, the University of Maine, and industry partners have been cooperating at the cutting edge of advanced energy research in this country for some time.

The University of Maine is home to world-class facilities, including the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, which is an interdisciplinary research, education, workforce training, and economic development center home to some of the nation’s leading testing and research facilities for wind energy, wood composites, and other technologies. The Center includes the new Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Laboratory, a one-of-a-kind wind and wave testing facility that simulates deep water ocean conditions with applications for offshore energy development and ocean-based industries.

We hope you will visit the University of Maine as soon as your schedule permits. Please do not hesitate to contact us or have your staff reach out to James Springer (Senator King) at 202-224-5344 and Olivia Kurtz (Senator Collins) at 202-224-2523 if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to working with you in your new role.

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