U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, announced today that she has secured a commitment from the White House that the Department of Agriculture's New England Plant, Soil and Water Laboratory (NEPSWL) at the University of Maine will remain open, thus preserving the jobs of the scientists, researchers, and support staff who work there and saving research vital to the potato and blueberry industries as well as efforts to improve food safety.
"Despite the fact that the President requested funding for the Orono laboratory, the only such research lab in New England, in each of his budgets for fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012, the Secretary of Agriculture erroneously labeled the Orono lab as a congressional "earmark" and slated it for closure," said Senator Collins. "The past several months have been difficult for the lab employees and their families who were told that they would be transferred to other research facilities around the country, including as far away as North Dakota and Mississippi. I was particularly troubled that the Department planned to close the lab when it has the flexibility under the law to keep the laboratory open. Shuttering this important lab and sending these employees, who are dedicated to improving the yields and disease-resistance of some of Maine's most important crops, simply didn't make sense. I truly appreciate the White House's willingness to consider my argument and its commitment to keep the lab open."
Despite the President's request to fund the lab this year as well as next year, the Department of Agriculture informed employees in March that the Orono lab would be closed in early July. Senator Collins requested that the Department reverse its decision and find funds within his own budget in order to continue the important research at the lab while Congress finalizes the Fiscal Year 2012 budget. In addition, she requested a detailed analysis of the costs and savings associated with closing this facility and transferring its employees to other facilities, and Senator Collins also called upon the White House to intervene.
The NEPSWL is USDA's only agricultural research lab in the New England region that conducts crop, soil, water, environmental and economic research. It has been in continuous operation for almost 40 years. The Orono lab generates valuable research that helps Maine's potato growers, blueberry producers, dairy farmers, and other farmers adapt their agricultural practices to best suit regional conditions.
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