Press Releases

In remarks on the House floor Wednesday night, Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree called attention to the devastating impacts recent storms have had on Maine communities and working waterfronts. 

“The sheer destruction these storms had on our working waterfronts is astonishing,” Pingree said. “More frequent, intense storms, floods, and rising sea levels mean our communities will continuously be faced with the kind of devastation we’ve seen in Maine over the past few weeks.”

Click here to watch Pingree’s full remarks.

Pingree, who is Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee, urged her House colleagues to pass her bipartisan Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act to preserve America’s working waterfronts by creating a grant program and preservation loan fund to provide funding options for waterfront preservation and improvement projects.

“Congress must act to protect our working waterfronts and the more than 30,000 Mainers and 2.3 million Americans who rely on marine-related industries for their livelihoods,” Pingree said.

A complete transcript of Pingree’s remarks is copied below. 

Last month, Pingree visited hard-hit coastal communities where she met with local officials and fishermen to learn about ongoing recovery efforts.

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Mr. Speaker, since December 18, 2023, my home state of Maine has endured a barrage of devastating storms – causing severe flooding, power outages, and millions of dollars in damages

The sheer destruction these storms had on our working waterfronts is astonishing. 

More frequent, intense storms, floods, and rising sea levels mean our communities will continuously be faced with the kind of devastation we’ve seen in Maine over the past few weeks. 

At the same time, our working waterfronts are rapidly disappearing nationwide due to heavy development pressure. 

When fishermen must grapple with the loss of wharves, processing facilities, and other essential infrastructure in addition to navigating the challenge of climate change, it threatens the very survival of our coastal communities.

My and Congressman Wittman’s bipartisan Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act will help reverse a worrying trend of shrinking waterfronts, while simultaneously protecting jobs and preserving the character of our coastal communities. 

Congress must act to protect our working waterfronts and the more than 30,000 Mainers and 2.3 million Americans who rely on marine-related industries for their livelihoods. 

This is bigger than any of us.

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