UMCES president warns canceled federal awards threaten oyster restoration and research capacity
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Summary
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science leaders told lawmakers canceled or reduced federal awards are already cutting roughly 10% of grants and contracts at the institution and that proposed cuts from agencies like NOAA could greatly reduce funding for coastal restoration work including oyster hatcheries.
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) told the Transportation and the Environment Subcommittee that canceled and rescoped federal awards are hampering research and restoration efforts and that the institution is pursuing private and philanthropic partnerships to diversify funding.
DLS analyst Sarah Baker summarized the FY27 allowance for UMCES (roughly $63.1 million) and highlighted seven canceled federal awards that removed approximately $2.2 million from the institution’s grant portfolio; about half of the cancellations were tied to EPA awards. R&D expenditures overall have rebounded since a recent dip, with state/local contracts and federal awards making up a substantial share of spending.
President Morales Wilham framed UMCES as a statewide research institution that spans mountain to coast and emphasized applied projects such as oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay. He noted that UMCES has been a key supplier of oyster larvae and spat for restoration and aquaculture and that restoration efforts have coincided with a multi‑fold increase in oyster harvest in areas of successful restoration. "The environment is the economy," he said, linking environmental health to economic activity.
Wilham warned that canceled or rescoping of federal awards accounted for roughly a 10% reduction to grants and contracts at UMCES and said some partner agencies (NOAA was cited) have proposed cuts to core programs that could reduce funding to facilities such as the Horn Point Laboratory by an estimated 15% to 50% in coming years. UMCES said it is working to "plug this funding up" through private philanthropic seed funding and industry partnerships to sustain critical functions.
Committee members asked technical questions about oyster sanctuary siting and sedimentation; UMCES researchers replied that high sedimentation in parts of the Bay makes restoration difficult in some sanctuaries and that rotational harvest and other management tools matter for recovery.
Next steps: UMCES concurred with DLS recommendations and asked for approval of the governor’s FY27 allowance; the committee heard technical follow‑up questions but took no formal action during this hearing segment.
