Maine is looking to receive approximately $1 billion in federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) with over 80 specific projects identified.
To date, they are set to receive $2 billion in federal funding. Here is a breakdown of where the money is going:
- $711 million for roads, bridges and roadway safety projects: $494 million will go to highways and $90 million for bridges this year and next.
- $100 million for high-speed Internet across Maine: Approximately 59,000 households in Maine out of 221,000 eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program are enrolled. That cuts Internet bills by up to $30 per month or $75 on tribal lands, and has a one-time $100 discount off of a connected device.
- $69.5 million to provide clean and safe water and improve water infrastructure: Almost all of the total, available this fiscal year, is through the Environmental Protection Agency, with $28.4 million of that dedicated to lead pipe and service line replacement and $18 million for safe drinking water investments.
- $47.6 million for public transit infrastructure improvements this fiscal year, with $251 million over five years: Approximately 28 percent of transit vehicles in Maine are past their useful life.
- $37.6 million for clean energy, efficiency and power this year: $31.2 million is for weatherization, $3.7 million is through the state energy program, and $2.7 million is to prevent outages and make the power grid more resilient.
- $29 million for airports in 2022 to replace or modernize infrastructure. That includes $14 million for the Bangor International Airport terminal expansion.
- $20 million to repair or reimagine ports and waterways infrastructure.
- $20 million to clean up Superfund and brownfield sites.
- $15 million for infrastructure resilience projects in 2022 to handle the effects of climate change and extreme weather: Maine experienced three extreme storms in the past decade costing the state up to $100 million in damages. The Sabattus River Restoration project will get $350,000 to reduce the impact of flooding.
- $13.3 million for the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Bus Program: The Wells-Ogunquit Community School District was awarded more than $4 million in rebates to replace existing school buses with electric ones.
- $7 million this year and next to build a network of electric vehicle chargers across the state, with $19 million in funding over five years.
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Source: GovTech.com
