Van Hollen, Cardin Announce $1.56 Million for University System of Maryland Sea Grant Program

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) today announced the award of $1,564,898 for the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Sea Grant Program through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Maryland Sea Grant (MDSG) funds scientific research related to the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s coastal resources with practical applications benefitting Maryland industries, economies, and conservation groups.

“The Maryland Sea Grant Program conducts crucial research and outreach to protect and improve the health of Chesapeake Bay. This funding will help ensure their essential work will continue,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Environment and Public Works and Appropriations Committees. “A clean and thriving Bay is vital to Maryland’s economy, wildlife, and environment, and I will continue to fight for those priorities in the Senate.”

“The futures of Maryland’s economy and of our environment depend on the investments we make in the Chesapeake Bay today,” said Senator Cardin, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Maryland Sea Grant serves an invaluable purpose, bringing together a wide variety of stakeholders and connecting problems with practical, research based solutions. I will continue to advocate for its robust funding.”

This investment builds on the $1.24 million which the Senators announced in June. While President Trump’s budget proposed eliminating the program, Senators Cardin and Van Hollen supported and helped secure strong federal funding through the appropriations process.

Maryland Sea Grant awards grants and funding to support researchers in emerging areas of science. Their recent research has helped develop new approaches in oyster aquaculture businesses and contribute to the increase of the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population. More information on projects currently supported through MDSG may be found here.

Maryland Sea Grant is a University System of Maryland program administered by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. It is a part of a network of 33 National Sea Grant programs. Maryland Sea Grant’s mission, consistent with the objectives and standards of the National Sea Grant College Program and the University System of Maryland, is to conduct a locally responsive and nationally eminent program that supports research to address key questions important to environmental management; support and enrich marine education for students of all ages; and support outreach efforts that clarify for key audiences the applications of research findings to science-based management of the watersheds and coastal ecosystems in Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic region, and the nation.

###