US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Angus King announced that 29 Maine organizations will receive a total of $20,588,173 to support important development projects. The funding comes from the Northern Border Regional Commission’s (NBRC) Fiscal Year 2025 Catalyst Program and Timber for Transit Program and will support projects aimed at strengthening economic opportunity in communities across 13 Maine counties.
“The NBRC has long helped provide rural regions with the economic tools they need to prosper,” said Senators Collins and King. “This funding will help improve water infrastructure and roadways in communities across our state while strengthening our workforce and creating economic opportunities for Mainers.”
The recipients of the Catalyst Program funding are as follows:
Boothbay Region Water District – $1,000,000
City of Gardiner – $1,000,000
Mount Desert Island Hospital – $1,000,000
Presque Isle Utilities District – $1,000,000
Town of Waldoboro – $1,000,000
Regional Medical Center at Lubec – $800,000
Cherryfield Town Square – $500,000
Eastern Maine Development Corporation – $500,000
Friends of the Mountain – $500,000
Main Street Skowhegan – $500,000
Maine Department of Labor – $500,000
Maine Outdoor Brands – $500,000
Paris Utility District – $500,000
The Harry E. Davis Partnership for Children’s Oral Health – $499,613
Associated General Contractors of Maine – $497,961
Town of Thomaston – $497,640
Maine Community College System – $497,537
Town of Beals – $482,236
Arnold Trail Snowmobile Network – $403,409
GrowSmart Maine – $388,700
Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce – $303,150
Midcoast Council of Governments – $300,000
Bangor Children’s Home d.b.a. Hilltop School – $227,735
Island Institute – $181,712
Town of North Haven – $100,000
The recipients of the Timber for Transit Program funding are as follows:
Town of Island Falls – $2,808,000
City of Presque Isle – $2,500,000
University of Maine, Orono Campus – $1,000,000
Inland Woods and Trails – $600,480
A detailed description of all funded projects can be read here.
The NBRC was established by Congress in 2008, with Senator Collins’ and King’s support, to fund a broad range of development projects in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York aimed at alleviating economic distress and encouraging private sector job creation. In 2023, Senator Collins introduced and Senator King co-sponsored a bill to reauthorize and strengthen the NBRC.