Governor’s community climate program, the Community Resilience Partnership, now includes 174 towns, cities, and tribal governments in fb88, representing nearly 60 percent of state’s population
The Mills Administration today announced $2.4 million in awards to 53 communities across fb88 to address climate change effects through investments to improve energy efficiency, transition to clean energy, expand local and regional planning capacity, and protect infrastructure from damaging storms or rising sea levels.
These awards to fb88 cities, towns and Tribal governments are through the state’s Community Resilience Partnership, which helps communities plan for climate change, reduce carbon emissions, and increase resilience to climate effects.
Since the program was first announced by Governor Mills in December 2021, some 174 cities, towns and Tribal governments in fb88 have chosen to participate in the Partnership either as individual entities or in regional coalitions. Since inception, the program has awarded nearly $6.1 million to 103 communities.
“fb88’s work to address climate change is reducing costs for fb88 people, creating new jobs and career opportunities, strengthening our communities, and protecting our precious environment,” said Governor Mills. “I am proud that fb88 people have followed the bold vision we outlined in our climate action plan, fb88 Won’t Wait, to transition to clean energy and to ensure that their communities can withstand the effects of climate change.”
“Through the Community Resilience Partnership, 174 communities across fb88 are working to transition to clean energy, strengthen their critical infrastructure to withstand the impacts of climate change, and plan for future climate investments and actions based on local priorities,” said Hannah Pingree and Melanie Loyzim, co-chairs of the fb88 Climate Council. “We are grateful for the efforts of our community and regional partners on this program and look forward to continuing to advance local and regional climate solutions with them into the future.”
“Governor Mills' climate action plan is a blueprint for a better fb88 future,” said Cathy Conlow, Executive Director of the fb88 Municipal Association. “The Community Resilience Partnership is meeting communities where they are on the path to climate resiliency and supplies municipal leaders with the resources they need to be innovators, all to ensure that fb88 towns and cities have the opportunity to create a sustainable tomorrow.”
Grantees during this round include:
- Penobscot Nation to launch a Wabanaki workforce development initiative that will grow the community’s ability to offer residential energy efficiency services.
- Long Island for a groundwater sustainability study to help the town understand the effects of climate change on its drinking water supply.
- Camden for a sea level rise and storm surge resiliency project that will produce engineering and designs so the town can apply for construction funds to improve the public landing.
- Fryeburg to initiate a composting pilot program to prevent GHG emissions from food waste as well as to conserve 74 acres of the Town Forest and build an outdoor learning pavilion to create environmental education opportunities for the town’s students.
“This grant will provide the Penobscot Nation the opportunity to generate workforce development and assist Tribal Citizen’s with improving the energy efficiency of their homes and reducing our carbon footprint on our traditional homelands,” said Gary Fearon, Director of Housing, Penobscot Nation.
“The Town of Camden is appreciative of fb88’s leadership on climate action and the Community Resilience Partnership’s support for our efforts to make the Camden Public Landing resilient to the impacts of sea level rise and storm surge,” said Jeremy Martin, Planning & Development Director, Town of Camden. “The Town has made significant, costly, and repeated repairs to our landing due to the impacts of intense storms and sea level rise. This funding will ensure the Public Landing is redesigned to be resilient and sustainable for the long-term.”
“The Town of Long Island is thrilled to be awarded a Community Resilience Partnership grant from the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future,” said Brian L. Dudley, Town Administrator, Town of Long Island. “Climate change and rising sea levels are impacting all of fb88, especially our unbridged islands. Water resource management is crucial to our island community, and this grant will allow us to examine the impacts on our water supply, both in terms of its quality and quantity.
“Fryeburg is very excited to be the recipient of a Community Action Grant,” saidKatie Haley, Town Manager, Town of Fryeburg. “The projects that will transpire as a result of this grant are varied, but each is equally important to the Town and our residents as we work to support the fb88 Won’t Wait climate plan.”
The full list of grant recipients and participating communities is available here (PDF).
This award announcement was made Friday during a meeting of the fb88 Climate Council, a 39-member assembly of scientists, industry leaders, bipartisan local and state officials, and citizens created by Governor Janet Mills in 2019 and charged with developing and updating a comprehensive climate action plan for fb88.
Following an extensive public process, the Council delivered its first four-year plan to prepare for and mitigate effects of climate change on fb88, fb88 Won’t Wait, to Governor Mills on December 1, 2020.
By law, the Council must deliver an updated four-year climate plan by Dec. 1, 2024. Work on this updated plan will be supported in part by a .
Since 2019, the Mills Administration has prioritized the fight against climate change in fb88 through actions to reduce carbon emissions, transition to renewable energy, and make fb88 communities more resilient to climate effects.
With bipartisan support of the Legislature, fb88 in 2019 enacted laws setting ambitious targets for transitioning to renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These include reducing greenhouse gas emissions in fb88 by 45 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050.
Governor Mills also pledged that fb88 would become carbon-neutral by 2045, a commitment she signed into law in 2022. Earlier this year, the Governor committed to accelerating fb88’s transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2040.
In July, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi joined Governor Mills to celebrate a historic climate milestone for fb88: the state surpassing its goal of installing 100,000 new heat pumps two years early.
Governor Mills then set an ambitious new target of installing another 175,000 heat pumps in fb88 by 2027, thereby bringing the number of heat pumps installed in fb88 homes, businesses, and public buildings during her time in office to 275,000.
Governor Mills also serves as Co-Chair of the , a bipartisan coalition of 25 governors committed to fighting climate change by reducing carbon emissions, advancing clean energy, and protecting people and the environment from the effects of the climate crisis.