Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, today announced more than $14 million in Community Project Funding (CPF) for communities in Maine’s First Congressional District. The funding, which was included in the “minibus” funding package that passed the House today, includes $12.3 million to improve the water infrastructure in five First District towns; $1 million to establish a pilot Criminal Justice Clinic at the University of Maine School of Law; and $1 million for Northeastern University’s Roux Institute in Portland. With passage in the House, the funding bill will now head to the Senate for consideration.

The five water infrastructure projects secured by Pingree were included in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill for Fiscal Year 2026.

“Clean, reliable water infrastructure is essential to public health, environmental protection, and economic growth,” said Pingree. “Across Maine, many communities are relying on systems that are decades old and increasingly vulnerable to breakdowns, contamination, and extreme weather. These investments will help modernize aging infrastructure, strengthen wastewater treatment, and reduce pollution flowing into our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters—resources that are critical to Maine’s economy and way of life. By securing this funding, we’re making sure communities large and small can plan for the future, ensuring that the next generation of Mainers has access to safe, reliable, and resilient water systems.”

The funded projects Pingree secured are as follows:

• $3,250,000 for the Clinton Water District to construct a new sewer main along Railroad and Church Streets, as the present one is from the late 1940s and is nearing the end of its useful life.
  
  

• $1,093,276 for the North Berwick Wastewater Project for upgrading their Wastewater Treatment Facility to replace aging equipment, including pump stations, that has reached the end of its useful life and become less energy efficient.
  
  

• $4,000,000 for the North Haven Wastewater Project for upgrading components of the original North Haven 1986 wastewater treatment plant and increasing the facility’s resilience to sea level rise and other climate-related damages, and complying with regulations limiting the land application of biosolids.
  
  

• $1,000,000 for RSU 14 (Windham) Wastewater Project to extend the North Windham Sewer Line to the Windham High School Campus, which would allow the school district to retire its outdated 1960s-era wastewater treatment plant that currently discharges treated effluent into the Pleasant River (a Class B River).
  
  

• $3,000,000 for the South Berwick Wastewater Project: for upgrading the existing wastewater treatment facility’s 60-year-old influent pump station (which serves the entirety of the District), adding flood protection measures to provide resiliency to climate change, and mitigating flood damage to critical equipment.

In addition to these projects included in the Interior funding bill, today’s minibus funding package includes two of Pingree’s selected CPF projects in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill for FY26:

• $1,031,000 for Northeastern University’s Roux Institute for its project: “Accelerating the Development of Plastic Alternatives and Other Products Derived from Maine’s Natural Resources.” The funding will be used to invest in equipment for advanced manufacturing of sustainable materials and biomanufacturing to support workforce training and accessible research from ideation to product development in the next generation of bioproducts derived from natural resources such as timber, agricultural waste, and seaweed.
  
  

• $1,000,000 for the University of Maine School of Law to establish a pilot Criminal Justice Clinic. Through this new program, the University hopes to provide much-needed support for Maine's overstretched criminal-justice system by providing student attorneys in indigent defense cases—while helping train the state’s future legal workforce.

“Maine has a serious backlog of criminal adjudications, and UMaine’s new Criminal Justice Clinic helps address that problem in a real, meaningful way. If you’re an aspiring attorney, there’s no better experience than being in the courtroom—working on real cases, helping real people, and learning how the criminal justice system works,” Pingree said. “I’m also thrilled to support the Roux Institute’s work to accelerate development of sustainable materials from Maine’s natural resources. This investment will help grow our clean manufacturing sector, strengthen the workforce, and ensure Maine remains at the forefront of innovation in bio-based products. These are great examples of how Community Project Funding directly helps our communities—solving problems today while building the workforce Maine needs for the future.”

November’s Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Appropriations Bill funding bill included $6.2 million for six other community projects selected—bringing the total for Pingree’s FY26 CPF projects to $20,555,275.

Pingree has been a member of the House Appropriations Committee since 2013 and is Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

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