SNOWE, COLLINS ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $1 MILLION FOR BIGELOW LAB IN BOOTHBAY HARBOR

WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced that a $1,464,735 grant has been awarded to the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay Harbor from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The funds will be used for development of the research laboratory, which will create office and education spaces of a staff of 100 employees.

"Much of Maine's economy relies on its vast marine resources," said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. "Expanding the Bigelow Laboratory for Oceanic Sciences will advance research that improves quality of life in Maine and across the country."

The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducts research and gathers data about the global oceans, atmosphere, space and sun, and applies this knowledge to science and service that touch the lives of all Americans. NOAA is the Nation's premier science agency, a highly trained team of dedicated scientists and personnel working together through the agency's seven main line offices to monitor and probe the mysteries of the natural world. ###