State of Maine
09/12/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/12/2024 08:09
Governor Mills Announces $8 Million in Grant Funding Now Available to Help Maine Communities Strengthen Resilience to Climate Effects
September 12, 2024
Office of Governor
Grants of up to $75,000 support local climate resilience and emissions reduction initiatives, with record funding through the Community Resilience Partnership
Governor Janet Mills today announced that $8 million in grant funding, an unprecedented amount, is now available through the state's Community Resilience Partnership to help communities become resilient to the effects of climate change and to reduce fossil fuel use and carbon emissions.
With additional funding from Governor Mills and the Legislature, plus new Federal funds through an historic climate resilience grant the State received earlier this year, the Partnership will make up to $8 million available in this fifth grant round and increase the maximum grant award to communities from $50,000 to $75,000.
Two or more entities may also jointly apply for up to $175,000, an increase from $125,000. This unprecedented level of funding will allow the Partnership, first announced by Governor Mills in 2021, to support more Maine communities in a single grant round than ever before.
"With severe weather expected to become more frequent in the years ahead, it's critical that Maine communities act now to make their infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change," said Governor Janet Mills. "Grants from our Community Resilience Partnership have enabled more than one hundred fifty Maine communities to enhance infrastructure, reduce carbon emissions, and boost energy efficiency. I encourage Maine municipalities to take advantage of this round of grant funding -- the largest yet -- to strengthen their communities for generations to come."
"Maine communities are ready to take action to protect their infrastructure from climate effects," said Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and Co-Chair of the Maine Climate Council. "With this unprecedented round of funding, Maine will advance local and regional climate solutions that will strengthen our state for generations to come. We are grateful to our local partners, Governor Mills, and the Legislature for their support of this vital work to fight climate change in Maine communities."
"The Community Resilience Partnership provides municipalities with the tools necessary to invest in community designed and supported infrastructure improvements," said Catherine M. Conlow, Maine Municipal Association Executive Director. "The program has helped towns and cities across Maine implement projects and programs that not only make their communities more resilient, but also protect the investments made by Maine's property taxpayers. We are pleased that Governor Mills is advancing this record round of grants to assist municipalities in meeting their climate related goals."
Since 2021, the Partnership has awarded $8.5 million in grants to 150 Maine towns, cities, tribal governments, and regional planning, economic development, and community organizations, for climate actions, resilience projects and initiatives.
The grants are supporting, for example, the Town of Gouldsboro to study rebuilding roads impacted by storm surge and sea level rise that serve the working waterfront; the City of Rockland to prepare for climate impacts from sea level rise and storm surges on critical infrastructure in the downtown waterfront; and the Town of New Gloucester to identify risks posed by climate hazards to infrastructure, people, and ecosystems.
These grants have also supported other local climate actions that reduce emissions and save taxpayer funds, such as heat pump installation, lighting upgrades, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and energy efficiency upgrades.
Overall, more than 226 communities across the state, representing more than 70 percent of the state's population, are participating in the Partnership. These communities, plus others who enroll the Partnership, are now eligible to apply through December 17, 2024 for grants, which will be awarded early next year. Application information is available here.
Communities may enroll in the Partnership at any time. For more information on how a community may enroll in the Partnership, and an interactive map of communities awarded grants through the program, please visit the Partnership's website.
In May, the supplemental budget signed by Governor Mills included an additional $5 million for resilience grants from the Partnership. This investment followed unprecedented severe storms in December and January that caused $90 million in damage to public infrastructure in Maine.
In July, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration announced a $69 million Federal grant to the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future that included significant funding to expand the Partnership and accelerate investments in climate resilience infrastructure projects around the state.
This grant availability comes as the Maine Climate Council -- a 39-member assembly of scientists, industry leaders, bipartisan local and state officials, and citizens created by Governor Mills in 2019 -- continues its work to update Maine's comprehensive climate action plan, Maine Won't Wait.
Following an extensive public process, the Council delivered its first four-year plan to prepare for and mitigate effects of climate change on Maine, Maine Won't Wait, to Governor Mills on December 1, 2020. By law, the Council must deliver an updated four-year climate plan by Dec. 1, 2024.
The Council is accepting feedback and comment on potential strategies for the climate plan through this month. To see a schedule of public input meetings on the plan, or to review draft strategies and complete an online feedback survey, please visit this website.
In May, Governor Mills signed an Executive Order to establish a new commission that will develop the State's first plan for long-term infrastructure resilience, following the devastating winter storms and a record eight storm-related Federal disaster declarations in Maine over the past two years.
The 24-member commission is engaging with communities, industries, and organizations across Maine to understand challenges following storms, bridge gaps in resources like funding, financing, and insurance, how to improve the resilience of energy systems, propose new approaches to improve disaster recovery and response, and strengthen support for resilience at the state, regional, and local levels.
That commission will deliver an interim report for the Governor and Legislature in November, with a final report due in May 2025. For more information about the commission, please visit its website.