The Trump administration has agreed to “renegotiate” a $4.5 million federal grant awarded last year to the Maine Sea Grant program less than a week after NOAA told state program leaders their research was “no longer relevant to the focus of the administration’s priorities and program objectives.”
In a Thursday memo, NOAA’s acting administrator, Vice Admiral Nancy Hann, said the Maine program would be eligible to receive a $1.2 million federal award to fund the second year of the four-year research program begun last year. But funding “is contingent upon the availability of funds from Congress, satisfactory performance, continued relevance to program objectives,” Hann said.
Maine Sea Grant is one of 33 state-based marine science programs that receive federal funding to conduct research and run educational programs on a wide array of topics, including ocean health, fisheries management, marine aquaculture and endangered species protection. The Maine grant, awarded in 2024, was suspended without notice on Feb. 28, placing the University of Maine-based program in limbo.
The reprieve came after Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine appealed to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to undo what many Sea Grant observers and environmental advocates saw as retribution by the Trump administration against Maine Gov. Janet Mills. The grant disruption came after Mills publicly sparred with President Donald Trump at a White House meeting over his executive order barring transgender athletes from participating in school sports.
