Maine Receives $69M Climate Change Grant

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced last Friday that it will be granting the state of Maine $69 million to assist its underserved communities in developing and implementing new strategies for protection against the impacts of climate change, such as flooding, storm surges, and extreme weather events. 
 
Federal officials praised Maine's "ambitious vision to become a national leader in climate resilience." Rick Spinrad, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said: "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." 
 
The grant, which is the largest ever given by the state for climate-related purposes, will be allocated through the Maine Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and Future. It aims at focusing on nature-based solutions, strengthening working waterfronts across Maine, and building enduring capacity to prepare for future climate change impacts. 
 
Among the other tasks funded by this grant are helping rural communities with their adaptation strategies against climate change; expanding training on flood risk management, saltwater intrusion control, etc.; updating the existing regulatory framework supporting climatic resilience; conducting projects encouraging regional collaboration and nature-based solutions; and strengthening vulnerable public infrastructure. 
 
In an afternoon press conference held in Portland, further details about these initiatives were disclosed. 
 
Maine has experienced firsthand severe natural disasters caused by extreme weather conditions, including storms, during the last winter season. Gov. Janet Mills noted how important it was to make vital areas like working waterfronts stronger so they could withstand similar situations again. 
 
Scientists have attributed these destructive weather phenomena not just to rain or wind but mainly to rising sea levels resulting from an increase in heat-trapping greenhouse gases present in our atmosphere, causing temperature rises globally. 
 
Warm air holds more moisture than cold air—nearly 4% per degree increase, making wetter winter storms possible and feeding off moisture from the nearby Gulf of Maine, creating torrential downpours rather than the traditional snowfall seen during winter storms. 
 
Rising temperatures lead to melting glaciers and ice sheets, adding water to an already expanding ocean volume. The Gulf of Maine is susceptible to changes in the Gulf Stream and seasonal wind shifts, making it rise faster than the global average. 
 
The Climate-Ready Coasts program was created with a budget of $575 million under the Inflation Reduction Act, aiming at helping states like Maine prepare for future climatic hazards, support community-driven restoration projects, and create jobs. 
 
Sen. Angus King commented on how climate change has been impacting their state already through extreme weather conditions such as heat waves or ocean acidification, demanding immediate action against this crisis. 
 
Rep. Chellie Pingree said that this grant will help them speed up efforts towards achieving the resilience goals outlined in their climate action plan, which was drafted by the Maine Climate Council headed by her daughter Hannah Pingree, former Speaker of the Maine House. 
   
Pingree also added: "As a rural state with nearly 500 towns, the longer-term components of this funding will significantly advance work to engage those communities that need to increase their resilience but don't currently have the capacity do so."