Gov. Janet Mills (D), alongside several members of the federal government, announced Friday that Maine has been awarded a $69 million “climate resilience grant” designed to “protect Maine’s communities, environment, and working waterfronts from extreme storms, flooding, and rising sea levels.”
With this grant, the state government intends to expand the Community Resilience Partnership, support the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund, and establish a “resiliency office” within the state government to lead “cross-agency efforts to enhance climate resilience across the state, especially in communities with significant climate vulnerabilities impacting residents, infrastructure, and the environment.”
With the funds distributed to the Community Resilience Partnership, the group will “support planning and projects to address climate effects, based on priorities identified by local leaders and citizens.”
The Maine Infrastructure Adaption Fund will utilize its share of the grant to bolster its primary goal of “identifying, funding, and completing significant construction projects to address serious climate impacts.”
Money from this grant will also be used to build upon the efforts currently underway to support working waterfront businesses impacted by the severe storms that swept through the state this past winter.
[RELATED: $21.2 Million in State Grants Awarded to Repair Winter Storm Damage on Working Waterfront]
“Maine knows firsthand the devastating impact that climate change can have on our people, our communities, and our economy – just look at the unprecedented damage caused by last winter’s severe storms,” Gov. Mills said in a press release Friday.
“We are in a critical fight to protect the health of our people, the health of our environment, and the health of our economy from the ravages of climate change,” said Mills. “Thankfully, this historic investment from the Biden-Harris Administration will accelerate and expand our already aggressive work to make our state, especially our vital working waterfronts, stronger and more resilient to the severe storms we know are ahead.
“From sea level rise and storm surges to eroding infrastructure, coastal communities are on the frontlines of dealing with the worsening impacts of the climate crisis,” said National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. “Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, we are driving progress and innovation in climate resilience across the board, using every tool in our nation’s toolbox to fight climate change and safeguard communities.”
“[The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] (NOAA) recognizes Maine’s ambitious vision to become a national leader in climate resilience,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “This funding will help the state move closer to that goal, ultimately becoming more resilient to climate impacts while fostering economic opportunity and prosperity and advancing equity.”
“Whether it’s extreme storms like we had this past winter, heat waves or ocean acidification, we are already living through the impacts of climate change in here in Maine,” said Sen. Angus King (I). “It is clear that the climate crisis is upon us and demands immediate action. This $69 million award from NOAA – funded through the landmark Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — will be critical in ensuring our state meets its climate goals, while also cementing Maine as a national leader in climate resiliency.”
“Maine is on the front lines of the climate crisis, and our working waterfronts continue to bear the brunt of its devastating impacts,” Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) said. “The $69 million grant from NOAA we’re celebrating today will accelerate progress towards the climate resilience goals outlined in the state’s climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait, and strengthen the resilience of our vulnerable working waterfronts.”
“As a rural state with nearly 500 towns, the longer-term components of this funding will significantly advance work to engage in those communities who need to increase their resilience, but don’t currently have the capacity to do it,” said Rep. Pingree.
“This unprecedented Federal grant will help accelerate efforts to strengthen the resilience of Maine people to climate effects, especially extreme storms like those our state experienced this past winter,” said Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) and co-chair of the Maine Climate Council.
“With this funding, we will improve our ability to protect our state’s people, communities, and infrastructure from future harm, ensure the preservation of our critical working waterfronts, expand our efforts to mitigate environmental damage, and make climate resilience an urgent priority for Maine going forward,” Director Pingree said.
Click Here to Read Gov. Mills’ Full Press Release
Mills signed an executive order in May establishing a commission to develop the state’s first plan for “long-term infrastructure resilience.”
The severe winter storms that swept through the state this past December and January were cited by Gov. Mills both in her press release and in the executive order itself as critical context for the commission’s formation.
According to the executive order, the ongoing effects of climate change will necessitate a continued investment in “recovery and rebuilding resources” because “extreme storms, inland and coastal flooding, and other natural hazards are projected to increase in frequency and severity as the climate warms.”
“From the federal government.” In other words, from the pockets of taxpayers. Come on Maine Wire! Accuracy is important. There’s no such thing as federal or state money. It’s all taken by force from taxpayers.
More scam handouts for the poor relations.
Liberals have made and kept Maine poor.
Anything for power. Soon they’ll run out of other people’s money. Then the lefties who moved here from out of state will move on to ruin another state. NH?
Mills will retire to FL so she won’t pay income taxes.
“and establish a “resiliency office” within the state government to lead “cross-agency efforts to enhance climate resilience ” And after the first, an likely only, trache of federal taxpayers’ money runs out, those of us in Maine will be left to pay State taxes to keep this scam of a “resiliency office” going, forever.
Grants, grants, grants everywhere. Taxpayer dollars for everything foolish like climate change and DEI. No wonder our economy is on the verge of collapsing, and it’s being done on purpose.
Skippy-Joe: You are correct that bankrupting America is being done on purpose. Two profs at Columbia University in NYC, Cloward and Piven developed the theory that all that would be needed to bust us would be to have enough non workers sign up for our liberal unemployment and similar benefits. Mayorks was told to bring in 20,000,000 more from the South. Was it a coincidence that Barrak Hussein Obama attended Columbia?
“Climate resilience” A most laughable euphemism if I ever heard one. Hard to believe that so called adults believe this bs and worse they elect dimwits that buy the lie as well. We are in trouble.
The feds have taken my money and pa[d it to Maine
So much of this coastal infrastructure is simply ancient. I guess climate change aged it . Nonsense. How many do nothing jobs do we need ?
Is this pure BS to be used in Maine’s general graft slush fund??. What is the status of the Lincoln Maine Battery Project by Form Energy?”Climate Resilience Fund”???What is this? .Shell money to Mill’s government, from USAID? Has DOGE Stopped this yet?
?….Pure graft fiction? How about some investigative reporting here?