BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 14, 2025
The University of Maine’s high-profile engineering and offshore wind research hub laid off nine employees this week after President Donald Trump’s administration paused millions in awards to help the center build floating turbines and complete other projects. Trump is seeking to halt offshore wind projects, something that could threaten much of the center’s groundbreaking work in that policy area. The layoffs come after the U.S. Department of Energy suspended in April three awards to the UMaine research center worth $15.8 million, including a $12.5 million federal award for the Orono-based center to continue work on its floating offshore wind turbines. The Energy Department did not cite any specific violations by the university.