A combined $8 million worth of grant funding has now been made available “to help communities become resilient to the effects of climate change and to reduce fossil fuel use and carbon emissions.”

These grants come through Community Resilience Partnership, originally founded in 2021 to “help local communities undertake projects that increase resilience to climate effects and reduce greenhouse gas emissions” and was funded by a combination of state and federal tax dollars.

A $5 million additional allocation for the Partnership — designed to allow another hundred municipalities to participate in the program — was included in the supplemental budget signed into law earlier this year.

In July of this year, Maine received a $69 million “climate resilience grant” designed to “protect Maine’s communities, environment, and working waterfronts from extreme storms, flooding, and rising sea levels.”

This funding allowed the state to expand the Community Resilience Partnership and “accelerate investments in climate resilience infrastructure projects around the state.”

As the fifth and largest round of funding distributed through the program, maximum award values have been increased from $50,000 to $75,000.

Two or more entities may submit a joint application for up to $175,000, an increase from the previous cap of $125,000.

Since the Partnership’s inception in 2021, $8.5 million worth of grants have been awarded across 150 “towns, cities, tribal governments, and regional planning, economic development, and community organizations for climate actions, resilience projects and initiatives.”

“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 Gov. Janet Mills (D) in a statement Thursday.

“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,” said Gov. Mills. “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 (GOPIF) 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,” said Pingree.

“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,” said Conlow. “We are pleased that Governor Mills is advancing this record round of grants to assist municipalities in meeting their climate related goals.”

Click Here to Read Gov. Mills’ Full Press Release

This past Spring, Mills signed an executive order establishing a commission tasked with developing a plan for “long-term infrastructure resilience.”

The severe winter storms that swept through the state this past December and January were cited by Mills both 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.”

Also in connection with these storms, lawmakers recently approved a $60 million transfer out of the Budget Stabilization Fund (BSF) in response to the December and January storms to aid in the recovery effort of businesses and working waterfront properties statewide.

$50 million was sent to the Infrastructure Adaptation Fund (IAF), while the remaining $10 million was directed into the newly-established Business Recovery and Resilience Fund (BRRF) program.

Although both components of this initiative received bipartisan support in Augusta, lawmakers were divided along partisan lines over what would be the most appropriate source for the necessary funding.

While Democrat lawmakers backed the plan to utilize funds from the BSF, Republican legislators advocated for the money to be drawn from the unappropriated General Fund surplus.

Colloquially known as the Rainy Day Fund, the BSF is statutorily required to be used primarily as a reserve account to offset state expenses in the event of a General Fund revenue shortfall.

The BSF may also be used to to provide assistance to the families of fallen first responders or cover specifically-defined expenses during certain emergency situations.