Sen. Carney celebrates Community Action Grants awarded to South Portland, Cape Elizabeth

AUGUSTA — Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, is pleased to announce that South Portland and Cape Elizabeth were selected to receive Community Action Grant awards from the Community Resilience Partnership. The Partnership, administered by the Maine Office of Community Affairs, helps Maine communities transition to clean energy and become more resilient to climate effects, including severe storms and flooding.

A $75,000 grant will support South Portland’s efforts to improve long-term flood resilience and reduce flood insurance premiums through the development of an action plan and municipal resource guide, as well as enrollment in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System. This most recent round of grant funding, awarded earlier this month, is the second set this year and seventh overall. It will support projects in 72 communities with $4.7 million in total awards. A complete list of awardees is available through the Maine Office of Community Affairs.

The previous round, which was announced in May of this year, includes $75,000 for the installation of a 65-kW rooftop solar array at Thomas Memorial Library in Cape Elizabeth and $80,000 for the development of a bicycle-pedestrian master plan in South Portland. Senate District 29 has received more than $770,000 in Community Action Grant awards since the inception of the program in 2021.

“As the droughts, coastal flooding and extreme weather of the past several years have made clear, climate change is already weighing on our corner of southern Maine,” said Sen. Carney. “To set our community up for success in a warmer world, it’s essential that we thoughtfully plan and invest in proactive adaptation and emissions reduction. I’m grateful that these state investments will help make that progress possible in South Portland and Cape Elizabeth, protecting public health, critical infrastructure and local livelihoods through the challenges ahead.”

Funding for the grants comes from several sources, including measures passed by the Maine Legislature with Sen. Carney’s support:

• The Supplemental Budget that was passed by the Legislature in 2024 to increase community resilience and preparedness in the wake of the December 2023 and January 2024 storms;
• Funds from the biennial budget authorized by the Legislature in 2023; and
• A federal grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Sen. Anne Carney is serving her third term in the Maine Senate, representing South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and part of Scarborough. She serves as the Senate chair of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee and Joint Rules Committee and as a member of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee.

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