Mills announces $5.4M climate investment to protect communities, create jobs
Maine will invest $5.4 million in state and federal funds to protect Maine communities from the effects of climate change and to create well-paying clean energy jobs, Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday.
She made the announcement at Colby College in Waterville on the second anniversary of the state’s climate action plan, "Maine Won’t Wait," unveiled by the Maine Climate Council in 2020. The state aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
“We are making unprecedented strides to embrace clean energy, to reduce carbon emissions, and to help our communities fight, at every level, the greatest danger of our time,” Mills said. “With our climate action plan as our guide, we will be the generation that protects this precious place we all call home, so that future generations may live in a Maine that is as beautiful and bountiful as it is today.”
The $5.4 million announced Thursday includes $2.9 million in grants, via the General Fund in the state’s biennial budget, to support 91 Maine cities, towns and Tribal governments.
Mills also announced she is awarding $2.5 million in climate-related workforce grants, funded by her Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, to nine organizations.
Recipients include Kennebec Valley Community College, to expand training programs for electric vehicle repair and solar installation careers, and the Associated General Contractors of Maine, to expand construction pre-apprenticeship programs in Maine high schools.
“Maine is making significant investments in clean energy and energy efficiency deployment, and we need the skilled workforce to meet the growing demand,” said Dan Burgess, director of the Governor’s Energy Office. “This funding will support training and workforce development efforts across the state, allowing Maine people to enter and thrive in the clean energy sector.”
The full list of grant recipients and participating communities is available here.
Passamaquoddy awarded planning grant
In a related development, members of Maine's congressional delegation welcomed a $5 million planning grant for the Passamaquoddy Tribe to respond to climate-related environmental threats.
The grant, announced during the 2022 White House Tribal Nations summit, was is being funded by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“From rising sea levels to warming waters, the impacts of climate change are already threatening communities across Maine," U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Susan Collins, R. Maine, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Jared Golden, D-2nd District, said in a joint statement.
"This federal program, one of the first of its kind, will help the Passamaquoddy Tribe prepare for climate change with long-term resilience measures."
The Passamaquoddy Tribe is one of eight tribal communities nationwide receiving a total of $40 million for planning grants.
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