$5.4 million worth of grants from the state government have been awarded to municipalities throughout Maine to “protect vulnerable infrastructure and improve resiliency to the effects of climate change.”
According to a press release published by Gov. Janet Mills (D) Thursday, the funding was spread across 39 projects in 37 towns and cities and will be administered by the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT).
Of the total grants awarded, $4 million worth are being directed toward 20 culvert projects in 18 municipalities, while the remaining $1.4 million is being spread across 19 other endeavors that “protect vulnerable public infrastructure from climate effects and improve climate resiliency.”
The 18 towns and cities receiving funding for culvert projects include: Bar Harbor, Brownfield, Cumberland, Ebeemee Township, Fairfield, Frenchville (2), Lincolnville, Ludlow, Milton Township, Naples, Norway, Presque Isle (2), Prospect, Randolph, Standish, Washington, Waterford, and Winslow.
Each of these 20 projects was awarded a $200,000 grant from the state that “will match local funding for culvert improvements to protect public infrastructure and safety by replacing failing culverts that are at risk of complete washout or collapse.”
Additional information on the remaining 19 projects that were awarded grants can be found here.
“The recent storms, along with the damage they caused, just further underscore the importance of our work to help communities improve their infrastructure to better withstand the impacts of climate change,” Mills said in Thursday’s press release. “This investment from the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund will help 37 cities and towns across Maine enhance their resiliency to severe weather and rising sea levels.”
“And the strong demand for the program is also a testament to the need for greater funding,” Mills continued. “Communities across Maine want to take action, and, with the additional funding I have proposed, we can help them do that to better protect Maine people, strengthen our infrastructure, and protect our economy in the process.”
Earlier this year, Mills announced that she would be bringing forward legislation aimed at distributing $50 million from the “Rainy Day Fund” to the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund in order to “help communities rebuild infrastructure and enhance climate resiliency.”
Created in 2021, the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund was first introduced as part of Mills’ effort to “empower communities in the fight against climate change.”
According to a press release from December of 2021, the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund was “a $20 million program through the Maine Department of Transportation that will provide grants to municipalities, tribal governments, and others to improve stormwater, drinking water, and wastewater infrastructure from flooding, rising sea levels, and extreme weather.”
At the time, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) Bruce Van Note said that the Fund would “help us make strategic investments in projects designed to address climate effects on critical infrastructure.“
“Our goal is to work in partnership with local communities and tribes to get this money where it’s needed as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Van Note said. “These timely investments will support public safety, protect our natural resources, and enhance our quality of life.”
Van Note also weighed in on Mills’ announcement Thursday, emphasizing his support for this newest round of infrastructure grants awarded through this Fund.
“These investments in our infrastructure represent a win-win: these programs will help improve fish passage, which helps to support Maine’s fishing industries and our economy, while also helping to make our roads more resilient,” said Van Note. “The fact that MaineDOT received requests for about three times the amount of grant money we were able to distribute in this round of funding demonstrates a clear need for continued investments in this area.”
“The intense storms in December and January have been a wake-up call about how vulnerable Maine communities are to the effects of climate change, such as intense storms, flooding, and rising sea levels,” said Hannah Pingree — Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and co-chair of the Maine Climate Council.
“The state’s climate plan, Maine Won’t Wait, recommended creating this fund to help communities invest in protecting their infrastructure,” Pingree said. “These grants announced today, and others in the future in response to the recent storms, make good on that recommendation to enhance local resilience to climate effects.”
“What used to be considered a 100-year storm is happening multiple times a year now, and we’ve all seen how increased flooding is threatening infrastructure around the state,” said State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Maine Kate Dempsey. “TNC and our partners have long supported efforts to help communities in Maine make critical culvert upgrades.”
“This $4 million award will support 20 new projects to improve road-stream crossings, making Maine communities safer and more resilient in the face of climate change,” Dempsey said.
“As the nature and intensity of Maine’s storms continue to change, so does the way in which municipalities build, plan, and protect investments in public infrastructure,” said Executive Director of the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) Cathy Conlow. “In communities across the state, expenditures on roads, bridges, culverts, and wastewater facilities, consume a large part of limited town and city budgets”
“This $5.4 million from the Mills Administration for culvert and adaptation projects will help shift the burden of those improvements off the shoulders of property taxpayers,” Conlow said. “This is a partnership approach that municipal leaders appreciate.”
The Department received 75 applications totaling more than $13 million for culvert project funding, and 29 applications representing requests coming to more than $2 million for other related projects.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="26185 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=26185">5 Comments
The state’s climate plan, Maine Won’t Wait, recommended creating this fund to help communities invest in protecting their infrastructure,” Pingree said. “These grants announced today, and others in the future in response to the recent storms, make good on that recommendation to enhance local resilience to climate.change.”
No, “Pinhead” and Won’t Wait. The funds are to enhance resilience to weather related storms. Climate change is natural and cyclical which we can’t do anything about. We can, however, mitigate weather damage by improving the infrastructure if the money goes to the right projects which are recommended by legitimate engineers, not climate change hacktivists.
Pile up all your gold you rabble into ruling elite sandbags
They create these climate change slush funds and pass out other people’s money (OPM) like candy. These Democrat politicians have to go. Man can not change the climate. The powers of the solar system are too great. It is the greatest con job of the 21st century to pick our pockets and funnel it to their pet project cronies.
Earth’s climate has been constantly changing for billions of years. It’s only recently that the Communist DemocRats have discovered that they can use climate change as a weapon to frighten the lemmings into surrendering their money & their rights to the Communists.
A vote for any DemocRat is a vote for the destruction of America.
Demand a Convention of States to restore the government of the People !
What the hell is “climate resiliency”? How about ya just fix the damned culvert so the road doesn’t wash out. I suppose the money for this is phony funny money from the continuously running printing presses..