Congress Approves Nearly $14.5 Million for Maine Coastal Resiliency Projects Secured by Senator Collins
The funding now heads to the President to be signed into law
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $14,420,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for requests to support coastal resiliency projects in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill. The bill, which was included in legislation that passed the Senate today, now heads to the President to be signed into law.
“Maine’s working waterfronts are integral to the state’s heritage, economy, and culture,” said Senator Collins. “As Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure this funding, which will help to support the efforts of towns and cities throughout Maine as they work to renovate their docks and piers and make resiliency improvements to protect against flooding.”
Details on Maine coastal resiliency projects Senator Collins secured through the FY24 THUD appropriations bill are below:
Town Dock Improvements
Recipient: Town of Bucksport
Project Location: Bucksport, ME
Amount Requested: $4,100,000
Project Purpose: To allow Bucksport's dock to provide services year-round.
Castine Town Dock Improvement
Recipient: Town of Castine
Project Location: Castine, ME
Amount Requested: $288,000
Project Purpose: To upgrade the Town of Castine's floating dock and piling arrangements to preserve vessel access.
Rockland Downtown Waterfront Redevelopment
Recipient: City of Rockland
Project Location: Rockland, ME
Amount Requested: $4,060,000
Project Purpose: To redevelop the middle pier and related facilities in the downtown waterfront.
Searsport Municipal Pier Improvements
Recipient: Town of Searsport
Project Location: Searsport, ME
Amount Requested: $2,000,000
Project Purpose: To complete municipal pier improvements in Searsport.
Augusta Front Street Resiliency
Recipient: City of Augusta
Project Location: Augusta, ME
Amount Requested: $3,972,000
Project Purpose: To promote economic development in Augusta’s downtown district and Kennebec River waterfront area by supporting resiliency improvements to Front Street, which experiences frequent flooding.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.
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