Transportation

BIL funding will support important investments in Maine’s transportation system to support economic opportunity and quality of life.

Example Programs

BIL includes an increase in reliable formula funding programs and a variety of new competitive discretionary grant funding programs. 

  • Traditional formula funding programs support roads, bridges, freight, transit, and rural transportation. 
  • New formula funding programs support bridges, carbon reduction programs, infrastructure resiliency, and electric vehicle infrastructure.
  • BIL includes traditional discretionary grant programs like RAISE, INFRA, and CRISI.
  • BIL includes new discretionary grant programs focused on bridges, ferries, electric vehicle infrastructure, culverts, resilient infrastructure, rural surface transportation projects, and safety. 

For more information, visit MaineDOT's webpage on BIL.

Expected Formula Funds
  • $1.5 billion in highway and bridge program formula funding over the next five years.
  • $19 million over five years to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
  • $29.9 million in formula funds over 5 years from the new DOT Carbon Reduction Program, including $5.75 million in the first year, of which $3 million can’t be spent until a state Carbon Reduction Strategy is developed. The Carbon Reduction Strategy will identify projects and strategies to support the reduction of transportation emissions. The plan is due by November 15, 2023.
  • $251 million over five years to improve public transportation options.
  • $74 million over five years to improve infrastructure at airports.

For more information, visit MaineDOT's webpage on BIL.

Funding Awarded To Date

For more information, please visit MaineDOT's webpage on BIL.

Funding Opportunities

For more information, please visit MaineDOT's webpage on BIL.

Strategic Plan Alignments
  • The MaineDOT Work Plan (2024-2026) includes investments in Maine’s highways and bridges, transit and active transportation (including pedestrian and bike infrastructure), ports and harbors, ferries, freight and rail, and airports. 
     
  • Maine Won’t Wait, the state’s four-year Climate Action Plan, calls for bolstering the electric vehicle market in Maine, including expanding public charging infrastructure, as well as reducing vehicle miles traveled through improved public transportation options.
     
  • Maine Economic Development Strategy 2020-2029 recommends increasing funding for public transportation support the state’s workforce attraction and retention efforts.
Key Contacts

For more information about BIL programs, including opportunities for coordinating and/or possibly partnering with MaineDOT, please visit MaineDOT's webpage on BIL.

Resilience & Environmental Protection

BIL programs to strengthen the state's preparedness for storm events, flooding, and wildfires; to build resilience of transportation networks, drinking water and wastewater systems; to mitigate contaminants and pollution; and to improve natural capacity of watersheds and ecosystems.

Focus Areas
  • Formula allocation and competitive grants to support planning, resilience improvements, community resilience, and at-risk coastal and flood-prone infrastructure
  • Competitive grants for the replacement, removal, and repair of culverts or weirs.
  • Grants for flood mitigation and to increase resilience and public safety; reduce injuries and loss of life; and reduce damage and destruction to property, critical services, facilities, and infrastructure from natural hazards and the effects of climate change.
  • Grants to capitalize revolving loan funds to provide hazard mitigation assistance to local governments.
  • Grants for wildfire defense.
  • Cooperative agreements for brownfields cleanup.
  • Grants to fund clean water and wastewater infrastructure projects and to address emerging contaminants, including PFAS.
  • Grants to assist local waste management systems.
  • Grants for fish passage, wildlife crossings, habitat restoration, and coastal zone management.
  • Grants to schools for electric school buses and charging infrastructure.
  • Grants to research facilities to determine the benefits of using materials derived from bioproducts in the development and manufacturing of construction products.
Expected Formula Funds
  • $390 million over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state and ensure clean, safe drinking water.
  • $34 million in DOT PROTECT Program funds.
Strategic Plan Alignments
  • Maine Won’t Wait, the state’s four-year Climate Action Plan, focuses on preparing our communities and people to better withstand the likely accelerating impacts from climate change, extreme storms, rising seas, flooding and drought, especially the most vulnerable.
     
  • The MaineDOT Work Plan (2024-2026) includes $618 million in investments to maintain and preserve the existing highway and bridge system against snowstorms and heatwaves; freezes and thaws; and downpours and wind, including drainage maintenance. The federal BIL makes significant investments in transportation resiliency consistent with both state plans.
     
  • BIL funding for clean water infrastructure will also complement funding for Infrastructure Revitalization in the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, Governor Janet Mills’ plan to invest nearly $1 billion to help Maine people, businesses, and communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, including $20 million in the Infrastructure Adaption Fund to improve stormwater, drinking water, and wastewater infrastructure from flooding, rising sea levels, and extreme weather.
     
  • Maine Economic Development Strategy 2020-2029 emphasizes the central importance of protecting the state’s natural resources, and Maine Won’t Wait highlights the powerful role Maine’s natural and working lands and waters play in sequestering carbon.
     
  • The state PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) Task Force report—to address the man-made chemicals that break down very slowly and are persistent in the environment—includes recommendations to protect Maine people, water, and food from contamination. BIL funding for pollution clean-up and the environment will help to achieve these important state strategies.

Energy Programs & Building Efficiency

These programs will improve energy efficiency in buildings and enable the expansion of affordable, clean energy generation and transmission networks, in support of  Maine's ambitious statutory climate and energy targets

Example Programs
  • Formula grants for grid resilience. 
  • Grants to towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants to improve the resilience, safety, reliability, and availability of energy. 
  • Direct financing for transmission developers. 
  • Grants to utilities for Smart Grid investments for demand flexibility.  
  • Grants to non-profit organizations to provide energy efficiency materials. 
  • Grants to schools for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and alternative fueled vehicles.  
  • Formula funding and grants for weatherization, efficiency, and heating assistance. 
  • Competitive grants to provide training on updated building energy codes. 
  • Grants to train and certify energy auditors. 
  • Grants to train and certify for energy efficient building technologies. 
  • Cooperative agreements with higher education to train building technicians and engineers. 
  • Grants to assist manufacturers to invest in smart manufacturing technologies. 
  • Grants for pilot projects that reduce industrial emissions. 
  • Cooperative R&D agreements for wind and marine energy. 
  • Grants for regional clean hydrogen hubs. 

For more information, please visit this BIL webpage from the Governor's Energy Office.

Expected Formula Funds
  • $31 million for weatherization.
  • $18 million for other energy-related programs (including $10.9 million over five years for grid resilience. $4.4 million for the state energy program; $1.9 million from an efficiency block grant; and $0.8 million to capitalize efficiency loans to building owners.)

For more information, please visit this BIL webpage from the Governor's Energy Office.

Funding Opportunities

For more information, please visit this BIL webpage from the Governor's Energy Office.

Strategic Plan Alignments
  • Maine Won’t Wait, the state’s four-year Climate Action Plan, calls for decisive steps to decrease greenhouse gas emissions including expanding the number of heat pumps installed in Maine homes, doubling home weatherization rates with a focus on low-income households, and transitioning to clean power. Growth in Maine’s energy and efficiency sector will require a skilled workforce, creating good career opportunities for thousands of Maine people, and Governor Mills has set a goal of doubling clean energy jobs to reach 30,000 by 2030.
     
  • Maine Economic Development Strategy 2020-2029 includes the goal to stabilize and reduce energy costs by increasing investment in energy efficiency and clean energy development. Significant BIL funding for clean energy and energy efficiency will help to accelerate progress toward these goals, and will complement $50 million in funding for energy efficiency and weatherization for homeowners, small businesses, and local governments in the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, Governor Janet Mills’ plan to invest nearly $1 billion to help Maine people, businesses, and communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Broadband & Technology

Broadband expansion is a critical strategy for Maine. These programs will expand the interconnection and economic viability of Maine communities through improved, robust, affordable and universally available high speed internet (broadband) and secure information systems. 

Example Programs
  • Community Planning grants to provide technical assistance and community / regional capacity building:  
  • Infrastructure Deployment to connect public-private partnerships at a regional scale: 
  • Incentives to existing networks for a line extension program: . 
  • Strategic investments in critical infrastructure for enabling middle mile infrastructure to make for new access and more affordable last mile networks.
  • Digital equity planning grants.  
  • Pursuing a competitive grant to bolster middle mile broadband infrastructure.
  • Grants to implement digital equity projects and support the implementation of digital equity plans 
  • Grants for state and local cybersecurity. 
  • Direct payments from the FCC to internet service providers to subsidize affordable connectivity via the Affordable Connectivity Program. 
  • Federal mapping of state broadband infrastructure and deployment which will determine the state’s total allocation of BEAD program funding.
  • Direct USDA financing for rural utilities’ broadband facilities and equipment. 
Expected Formula Funds
  • $100 million to expand high-speed broadband across Maine (building on the American Rescue Plan/Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan $150 million dollar investments in connectivity goals). 
  • $13 million over four years for state and local cybersecurity. 
Strategic Plan Alignments
  • Maine Economic Development Strategy 2020-2029 focuses on the need for consistent, always-available access cell phone and high-speed internet across the state as necessary infrastructure to support economic development. Governor Mills has set a goal to achieve universally available broadband via the Maine Connectivity Authority, and allocated $21 million in the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, combined with $129M of Capital Projects Funds (CPF) to make urgent investments to bring affordable, high-speed broadband to more Maine people and businesses across the state.
     
  • Maine Won’t Wait, the state’s four-year Climate Action Plan, recommends expanded broadband to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by providing access to virtual work, medicine, education, and other opportunities that allow people to utilize online services without driving.