PORTLAND, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today visited the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) to see how the organization plans to use $1,382,000 in Congressionally-Directed Spending (CDS) to support the long-term health of Maine’s waters and ocean economy. During the visit, Senator King met with GMRI leaders to discuss how their Climate Center Project and Blue Economy Initiative will help the state’s coastal communities overcome 21st century challenges like climate change, a rapidly shifting economy, and more competition from around the globe. He also joined GMRI President and CEO Don Perkins for a tour of the site where CDS investments are expanding their efforts. Senator King secured this federal funding in the recently-passed 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Package.

“Maine’s coastal communities are changing. From a warming climate to an evolving economy, the Gulf of Maine faces both historic opportunities and challenges that will define our state’s success for generations. In partnership with the federal government and non-profits like the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, we can adapt in order to grow our economy, strengthen our communities, and address the threats of climate change,” said Senator King. “These two new Congressionally-Directed Spending investments will provide GMRI the tools it needs to expand their important climate efforts and help the seafood industry adapt to these rapidly shifting dynamics. This will mean a brighter future for Maine’s coast and all the people who rely on it. Today’s visit was a powerful reminder of how Congressionally-Directed Spending is being responsive to our state’s needs and the hard work that is being done to secure a better Maine. I’m incredibly proud that we were able to help GMRI receive this funding.”

“Without a doubt, climate change is the foremost ocean challenge of our time,” said GMRI President/CEO Don Perkins. “With support for our Climate Center and Gulf of Maine Ventures work, we’ll help coastal communities mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, while also realizing emerging economic opportunities in our region.”

Based in Portland, GMRI is a leading research nonprofit focused on the marine ecology of the Gulf of Maine and the many challenges of ocean stewardship and economic growth in the region. They received two Congressionally-Directed Spending investments from Senator King in the 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Package:

• $632,000 for the GMRI Blue Economy Initiative that will make the region's seafood industry more internationally competitive, generate high quality sustainable jobs, and usher in a new generation of Blue Economy entrepreneurship.
• $650,000 for the GMRI Climate Center Project that will support resilient waterfront economies all along Maine's coasts and enhance planning for a future with higher seas, stronger storms, and warming and acidifying waters.

Authorized in 2021 on a bipartisan basis, Congressionally-Directed Spending reflects funding priorities advocated for by a state’s Senators and Representatives, and is included in annual federal appropriations legislation to provide a specific amount of discretionary funding to a state, locality, or nonprofit organization for projects with demonstrated civic and community value. In the 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Package, which passed 68-31, Senator King secured funding for 93 Maine projects for a total of $137,252,598.