To Mark One Year Anniversary, Governor Mills & Maine’s Congressional Delegation Announce Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Has Delivered $966 Million to Date for Critical Infrastructure Investment

Senator Collins was a member of the core group of 10 Senators who negotiated the infrastructure package deal

Mills Administration launches new web site to trace new infrastructure progress and initiatives throughout the state

To mark the one-year anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation (BIL), Governor Janet Mills and Maine’s Congressional Delegation introduced right this moment that the landmark Federal infrastructure legislation has delivered greater than $966 million in to help 80 initiatives throughout the state, each by means of direct funding and thru grants earned by state businesses and others.

The Mills Administration additionally introduced right this moment that it has launched a brand new web site – maine.gov/bil – to trace BIL initiatives and investments in Maine and assist join communities and different entities in Maine to potential funding alternatives accessible by means of BIL. The web site stems from Governor Mills’ govt order in April directing her Administration to mobilize a cross-agency effort to coordinate BIL implementation among the many State, cities, cities, tribal governments, and different entities in Maine. This coordination is led by the Governor’s Workplace and the Governor’s Workplace of Coverage Innovation and the Future.

Senator Susan Collins, the Rating Member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, was a part of the core group of 10 Senators who negotiated the textual content of the BIL, and Senators Collins and Angus King each labored to barter and cross this laws within the Senate. Signed into legislation final November by President Biden with the help of Maine’s Congressional Delegation, the BIL provides a historic alternative to spend money on Maine’s roads and bridges, broaden broadband and public transportation programs, enhance local weather resilience, construct a clear vitality future, guarantee clear consuming water, and develop Maine’s financial system by means of sustained funding and good-paying jobs. The legislation is predicted to ship roughly $2.5 billion to the state over the subsequent 5 years for vital transportation, broadband, vitality, and environmental initiatives.

“With one yr beneath our belt, this once-in-generation funding helps us repair our roads and bridges, broaden high-speed broadband, enhance entry to scrub consuming water, and construct a cleaner, extra sustainable transportation community – all whereas placing Maine folks to work in good-paying jobs,” mentioned Governor Janet Mills. “I thank Maine’s Congressional Delegation for his or her help of this legislation, and I look ahead to persevering with to work carefully with them to enhance Maine’s transportation community within the years to return.”

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation is a once-in-a-generation funding within the infrastructure that powers our financial system and ties Maine communities collectively,” mentioned Senators Collins and King and Representatives Pingree and Golden. “From roads and bridges to broadband and {the electrical} grid, these investments are creating good-paying jobs and may have an immense, optimistic influence on the day-to-day lives of Maine folks for years to return. The transformational funding from the legislation, together with the greater than $900 million that has already been distributed by the State of Maine, has gone a great distance to assist Maine residents entry the financial, academic, and healthcare alternatives of the twenty first century. We’re proud to have helped cross this historic laws and look ahead to seeing it proceed to enhance our financial system and connectivity within the months and years forward.”

Highlights from the primary yr of BIL embrace:

• The town of Sanford obtained a $25 million RAISE grant for the Downtown Sanford Village Partnership, as a part of an general $34 million funding into the town middle in collaboration with MaineDOT. In whole, MaineDOT has been awarded $126.7 million from BIL to this point for initiatives in Sanford, Bangor, Presque Isle and Washington County.
• The Nationwide Fish and Wildlife Basis (NFWF) introduced $5 million “America the Lovely” grant to the Maine Division of Marine Sources to enhance fish passage for river herring and different species and improve watershed well being and native financial vitality within the St. Croix River and the Bay of Fundy.
• The Nationwide Fish Passage Program has eliminated two dams, the Higher City Dam and the Remnant Mill Dam from the Sabattus River, to get rid of public security hazards, cut back flooding danger, restore parks and protected entry to nature for deprived communities, and restore passage for Federally endangered Atlantic salmon, river herring, and different species to essential spawning habitat within the Androscoggin watershed.
• Maine is receiving $31.2 million for the Weatherization Help Program, which gives grants to low-income householders and renters to cut back vitality prices by bettering house vitality effectivity.
• The U.S. Division of Environmental Safety awarded $13.3 million in grants to 13 college districts in Maine to buy 34 electrical college buses. Grants have been facilitated by the Maine Division of Training and the Maine Division of Setting Safety by way of the Maine Clear College Bus Program.
• MaineDOT, Effectivity Maine, the Governor’s Vitality Workplace, Maine DEP, and the Governor’s Workplace of Coverage Innovation and the Future have obtained Federal approval on a plan to speculate $19 million to broaden Maine’s electrical automobile charging infrastructure.

Many funding alternatives in BIL can be found to native governments, tribes, nonprofits, and different entities. To make sure Maine’s communities can entry these alternatives, the state is providing technical help to help aggressive municipal, regional, and tribal purposes throughout quite a lot of BIL packages.

For extra info on this and all BIL exercise in Maine, go to maine.gov/bil.