The package, which has broad support among organizations across the state, also aligns with the intent of several bond proposals introduced by lawmakers.
“As we push full speed ahead on our economic recovery, now is the time to conserve in perpetuity the natural resources that form the backbone of our rural economy,” Mills said. “I look forward to working with the legislature on this proposal, which also continues my commitment to fixing our transportation system and complements our efforts to build an era of success, recovery, health, and opportunity for Maine.”
The bond proposal is scaled-back from the preview offered by Mills in her State of the Budget Address earlier this year, with many of the investments she originally posed — such as funding for innovation in Maine’s heritage industries — now being made through newly-available Federal funds in her Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan. That plan is based on the recommendations of the Governor’s Economic Recovery Committee and the State’s 10-Year Economic Development Strategy. With its focus on land conservation and continued commitment to fixing roads and bridges and other transportation modes, the new bond proposal complements the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan.
Since then, LMF has conserved nearly 604,000 acres of land, more than half of which — 333,425 acres — has been working lands. This includes 41 farms and 9,755 acres of farmlands and 26 commercial working waterfront properties, along with 1,272 miles of shorelines of rivers, lakes, and ponds, 58 miles of coastline, and 158 miles of former railroad corridors for recreational trails.
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However, the fund is nearly depleted. If the fund is replenished, LMF can continue its conservation efforts, leveraging federal funding enacted last year through The Great American Outdoors Act, which is expected to send tens of millions of dollars to the state for protection and conservation efforts.
- 304 miles of highway preservation paving, totaling $109 million
- 74 highway safety and spot improvement projects, totaling $41 million
- 28 miles of highway reconstruction and rehabilitation, totaling over $30 million
- 68 bridge projects, totaling $169 million
- 33 multimodal projects including rail, port, transit, and active transportation projects totaling almost $59 million
- $8 million for Municipal Partnership Initiatives projects
According to federal estimates, this transportation bond and matching funds will support thousands of jobs now and lay the foundation for economic prosperity in the long-term. If the capital funding for transportation represented by this bond is not provided, MaineDOT will need to dramatically cut back its Work Plan for 2022.
“State bonding remains critical to delivering our Work Plan,” said MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce A. Van Note. “Because this bond will be used to match federal and other funds, the impact of any reduction of bond funding is amplified. We are fortunate that lawmakers and voters have shown strong support for transportation bonds. We hope that remarkable level of support continues.”
The proposed bond builds on the governor’s commitment of $50 million to Maine’s transportation system in the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan.
