As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today voted to pass the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill, as well as the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies bill. Pingree secured increased funding to combat the climate crisis, invest in safe housing and modernized transportation, create thousands of good-paying jobs, as well as $2,025,000 in funding for local projects in her district.
“The bills passed by the House Appropriations Committee today will fundamentally shift our nation’s future. By making historic investments in the deployment of renewable energy, transportation modernization, energy efficiency, good-paying jobs, and economic development in our communities, these bills will help us to build back from the pandemic and take advantage of the opportunity to transition to a clean energy economy and promote a more equitable future,” said Pingree. “I’m particularly proud to have secured more than $2 million in local project funding for Maine’s 1st Congressional District. This funding will directly infuse the area with much-needed capital to improve our communities.”
In the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill, Pingree secured $2,025,000 in Community Project Funding, member-directed spending for projects with the highest need in Maine communities. Details of the projects are below:
- York County Shelter Programs’ Community Resource Center: $325,000
- This funding will allow York County Shelter Programs to purchase and rehabilitate a property that is centrally located in Sanford to use as a one-stop Community Resource Center. The site will provide meals for over 3,000 low-income and food insecure households each month, financial counseling services and eviction prevention for over 300 households per month, application assistance for mainstream resources for over 100 households per month, community AA and NA meetings that will support the large number of community residents in recovery, community policing resources that will bring more outreach and security to the community, community coordination of resources for more than 50 homeless households per month, and vocational training programs that will improve employment opportunities for dozens of trainees each year.
- Eastern Trails Management District planning project: $700,000
- Funding will support the engineering design of an 11-mile section of planned multi-use recreation trail and active transportation corridor between Kennebunk, Wells, and North Berwick. The proposed project will support the development of an active transportation corridor and recreational trail that offers significant social, economic and environmental benefits. In 2018, the existing 22 miles of off-road trail from South Portland to Kennebunk had 250,000 users and provided millions of dollars in local community investment.
- Abyssinian Meeting House restoration project: $1,000,000
- Funding will support the final phase of restoration, historic preservation, and maintenance of the Abyssinian Meeting House in Portland, the first site in Maine to be designated by the National Park Service as part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Funds will also preserve and promote the cultural heritage of African Americans in Maine. This final restoration phase will include the design and construction of the building’s interior, including design and installation of the museum exhibit space; building mechanicals, plumbing, HVAC, and other utilities; office, community, conference, and educational space; technology for onsite and distance live-streaming program collaboration; and ADA compliance. Planned community education programming, exhibitions, and humanities endeavors rely on the historic restoration of the building's interior.
For 2022 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill provides $84.1 billion, an increase of 11 percent above 2021. Details of the investments are available here and highlights are provided below:
- Creates tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure with significant investments in airports, highways, transit, passenger rail, and port systems
- Grows opportunity through homeownership and rental assistance, including more than 125,000 new housing vouchers targeted to individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness and over 4,000 new units for seniors and persons with disabilities
- Supports the vulnerable with public housing safety, maintenance and improvement investments, such as the remediation of lead paint and radon and installation of energy and water efficient systems
- Promotes safe transportation and housing with a skilled and growing workforce to conduct inspections, mitigate hazards, and study emerging threats and innovative solutions
- Reduces emissions, increases resiliency, and addresses historical inequities in transportation and housing programs through targeted grants and investments
For 2022, the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies bill provides $53.226 billion, an increase of $1.474 billion above 2021. Details of the investments are available here and highlights are provided below:
- Confronts the climate crisis with more than $14 billion of transformative investments in clean energy and science, which will help develop clean, affordable, and secure American energy
- Creates tens of thousands of good-paying jobs with a focus on deploying clean energy technologies and the green jobs of tomorrow in communities across the country
- Invests $172 million for wind power, including $4 million for work 3-D printing large offshore wind blades
- Provides $375 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program
- Includes $20 million to continue development of nanocellulose feedstock materials made from forest products for large scale additive manufacturing
Pingree has been a member of the House Appropriations Committee since 2011. She currently serves as Chair of the House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
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