$69M for Climate Resilience in Maine from NOAA

On July 26th, Governor Janet Mills, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator (NOAA) Dr. Richard Spinrad announced that Maine has won a $69 million climate resilience grant from NOAA to protect Maine’s communities, environment, and working waterfronts from extreme storms, flooding, and rising sea levels. The significant Federal grant, awarded to the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, represents one of the largest investments in climate resilience ever in Maine history and is one of just two grant awards from the Federal agency on the Eastern coast.

The Mills Administration will use the $69 million in grant funding to accelerate and expand its leadership on climate action by working with communities to take strong, pragmatic steps to address vulnerabilities, protect people, and ensure critical infrastructure is prepared for future impacts. Read more about the Climate Resilience Grant and its four focus areas here.

As part of these efforts, Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) and the Maine Land Trust Network (MLTN) will administer a new Climate Resiliency Conservation Fund (CRCF) to address ecological gaps on protected lands, alleviate conservation funding gaps, and leverage significant gains in protecting resilient and biodiverse landscapes. Natural landscapes and habitats that are at risk and are known to provide valuable ecosystem services that can mitigate the impacts of climate change on people, plants, and animals are the focus of conservation targets. The fund will help mitigate the impacts of climate change to biodiversity and habitats that support nature-based solutions and move the needle towards Maine’s goal of 30% land conserved by 2030 (currently at approximately 22% conserved) while meeting state and land trust goals.