Dear Friend,

It has been a big few months for climate action! With new federal funding awarded for solar power in low-income and disadvantaged households, and Governor Mills' announcement that the State has begun its process to procure up to 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind, Maine is making significant progress in climate and clean energy.

In April, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt visited at Rockland to officially open 5 federally-funded electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers at Hannaford supermarket. They are part of a bank of 8 Tesla-branded EV chargers that will be able to charge most makes and models of EVs.

Maine is the fifth state nationally to have National EV Infrastructure (NEVI)-funded charging stations come online, and the first state to open a charging location in conjunction with  EV manufacturer Tesla.

This is part of Recharge Maine -- a statewide initiative to develop a network of public, high-speed EV chargers. Learn more at maine.gov/rechargemaine.

Our state legislature wrapped up the session on April 17th. The proposed budget was passed, approving $60 million in storm resilience funding for communities and businesses damaged by storms last winter, and $5 million in additional funding for the rapidly growing Community Resilience Partnership (CRP).

The CRP welcomed 41 new communities now working with service providers to enroll through recent grant rounds, bringing it to a total of 226 participating Maine municipalities, tribal governments, and unorganized territories. They also awarded $607,000 in Energy Efficiency Priority Grants (EEPG) for clean energy and energy efficiency investments to seven communities.

CRP helps communities reduce carbon emissions, transition to clean energy and become more resilient to climate change effects such as extreme storms, flooding, rising sea levels, public health impacts, and more. 

There's also great news for Maine with the launch of the American Climate Corps and the growth of the Maine Climate Corps, which is now recruiting and welcoming new programs.

On Earth Day we saw the announcement of a $62 million Solar for All grant to deliver solar to low-income and disadvantaged households in Maine, and the announcement of $10.5 million in funding from NOAA through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to support four critical climate resilience and wildlife protection projects in York, Cumberland, and Washington Counties.

The event at Scarborough Marsh was attended by Arati Prabhakar, below, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, as well as a host of other state and local officials.

Our colleagues over at the Governor's Energy Office recently updated their Maine Offshore Wind Initiative website, with new pages detailing Maine's port, research array and consortium, procurement plans, recent news, roadmap information and updates, and more. Take a look here.

And as part of our efforts outlined in the Maine Won't Wait to engage more young Mainers in climate action, we launched Climate&Me, a youth-focused online resource. The website features information and inspiration for young Mainers about climate change, the State's climate action plan, and how youth can get involved and make a difference.

Hear from our Youth Engagement Coordinator Abigail Hayne as she talks about her unique path to Climate&Me.

You can also forward or share it with your networks here.

King Announces $2.5 Million to Strengthen Energy Resiliency for Communities Across Maine

Last week U.S. Senator Angus King announced the Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) has been awarded $2,500,000 through the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2024 Congressionally-Directed Spending (CDS) appropriations package to support an energy resiliency pilot program. As Maine faces increasingly extreme weather and storms, modernizing energy infrastructure through clean solar energy and new storage technologies can help ensure public buildings are able to maintain access to energy during destructive weather events. Proactive investments in renewable and sustainable energy are critical to ensuring communities across Maine are well prepared for future emergency events. 

The pilot program will take place in Caribou, Carthage, Dover, Foxcroft, Fairfield, Jonesport, Limestone, Lubec, Machias, Millinocket and Rockland.

Share your thoughts with the Maine Climate Council

As part of our new Climate&Me campaign, we want to hear from young Mainers taking climate action towards the goals outlined in the Maine Climate Plan. If you are a young person in Maine, take our survey and let us know if you'd like to inspire the next generation of climate leaders.

Highlighting sustainable careers in Maine, one social media post at a time.

With an eye for social media and a passion for storytelling, Kassie Murch works for Maine Public as a content creator and videographer, producing a series of Instagram Reels and TikToks highlighting Maine's green jobs and those working in sustainable careers.

"To be honest, I had no background in green jobs, but it was always something I thought was important. It's been great to combine that interest with being creative and telling stories."

Land Use Policies Webinar: Meeting Housing Needs and Climate Goals

Countless cities and states across the U.S. are reforming land use regulations to encourage more housing production. But estimating the climate, equity, economic development, and public health impact of these reforms is challenging – as is communicating it in ways that speak to a variety of stakeholders.

Presenter Anna Zetkutlic from RMI will share methods and modeling to assess the impact of local, regional, and state zoning codes to guide housing where it is most needed and most likely to reduce emissions while making other climate action investments go much farther.

Podcast: Sustainable Healthcare

Director Hannah Pingree joined Tim Doak, Northern Light Health Vice President of Sustainability and Maine Climate Council member, to talk about the role of government, industry, and everyday citizens in mitigating climate change impacts.

Join us in welcoming these 41 new communities working to become enrolled in the Partnership through the recently announced Service Provider Grant Awards. 

•    Andover
•    Livermore Falls
•    Canton
•    Harrison
•    Naples
•    Temple
•    Corinna
•    Dexter
•    East Millinocket
•    Guilford
•    Bradford
•    Rome
•    Wayne
•    Waltham
•    Sorrento
•    Sullivan
•    Milbridge
•    Harrington
 

•    Warren
•    Union
•    Washington
•    West Bath
•    Bucksport
•    Orland
•    Verona Island
•    Alfred
•    Hollis
•    Parsonfield
•    South Berwick
•    Lincoln
•    Trescott Township
•    Shapleigh
•    Belgrade
•    Norridgewalk
•    Acton

Additionally, seven Maine communities have been awarded $607,000 in Energy Efficiency Priority Grants (EEPG) for clean energy and energy efficiency investments to increase energy resilience, stabilize energy costs, and curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Communities receiving awards include:

• Millinocket: $100,000 for new Town Office windows

• Norway - $100,000 for a rooftop solar array

• Otisfield - $100,000 for a rooftop solar array

• Stonington & Deer Isle - $200,000 for solar arrays & battery storage in each community

• Waterville - $29,000 for LED lighting retrofits

• Whitneyville - $78,000 for new windows, doors, LED lighting, and heat pumps in the community center/town clerk’s office

• May 7, 2024 | 10am - 12pm: Maine Climate Council Buildings, Infrastructure & Housing Working Group
• May 7, 2024 | 2 - 4pm: Maine Climate Council Energy Working Group
• May 8, 2024 | 1 - 4pm: Maine Climate Council Transportation Working Group
• May 9, 2024 | 1:30 - 3pm: Maine Climate Council Equity Subcommittee
• May 10, 2024 | 12:30 - 3:30pm: Maine Climate Council Materials Management Task Force
• May 15, 2024 | 9am - 12pm: Maine Climate Council Coastal & Marine Working Group
• May 15, 2024 | 10am - 1pm: Maine Climate Council Natural & Working Lands Working Group
• May 21, 2024 | 1 - 4pm: Maine Climate Council Buildings, Infrastructure & Housing Working Group
• May 22, 2024 | 1 - 4pm: Maine Climate Council Transportation Working Group
• May 23, 2024 | 9am - 12pm: Maine Climate Council Community Resilience Working Group
• May 23, 2024 | 1 - 4pm: Maine Climate Council Energy Working Group