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Friday, April 25, 2025

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U.S. allies express alarm at Trump's plan to let Russia keep most of the land it seized from Ukraine; Higher ed supporters rally on two IL campuses for students' rights; South FL farming program in limbo after federal grant freeze; PA public defenders struggle with high caseloads, attorney shortage.

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Educators worry about President Trump's education plan, as federal judges block several of his executive orders. Battles over voting rules are moving in numerous courts. And FSU students protest a state bill lowering the age to buy a gun.

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Migration to rural America increased for the fourth year, technological gaps handicap rural hospitals and erode patient care, and doctors are needed to keep the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians healthy and align with spiritual principles.

ME benefits from $2.2 billion in federal clean energy investments

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Thursday, February 6, 2025   

Conservation groups in Maine are calling on the state's congressional delegation to protect federal funding for clean energy technologies.

A new report found the state has benefited from more than $2 billion in clean energy investments stemming from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Jack Shapiro, climate and clean energy program director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said many of the programs have helped low-income and rural communities.

"From a cost saving perspective, from an energy independence perspective, from a climate perspective, this is the right path to be on," Shapiro asserted. "We hope that we continue to have federal support to do that."

Shapiro pointed out the state has received millions of additional dollars in climate resilience funding to better prepare for extreme weather events. The Trump administration is reported to be exploring ways to cancel already approved loans for clean energy and redirect those funds toward nuclear power and liquefied natural gas.

Maine has set an ambitious goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2045 and the state has directed millions of dollars toward offshore wind energy projects, an electric vehicle charging network and electric heat pumps.

Shapiro noted all corners of the state are benefiting from energy investments, including efforts to improve electric grid reliability.

"Power outages are a frequent occurrence and that can be addressed by local energy production, like solar and local energy storage and microgrids," Shapiro outlined. "A number of these investments have gone to support those things as well."

Shapiro added federal funding has also created good-paying jobs. The state's clean energy sector grew three times faster than the state's overall economy between 2016 and 2022 and now employs more than 15,000 people. Gov. Janet Mills has set a goal of 30,000 clean energy workers by 2030.


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The Inflation Reduction Act allocated $3.1 billion for "underserved farmers" and land access, according to the USDA. (Pixabay)

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