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The Urgency of Building Resilient Communities
Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and co-chair of the Maine Climate Council, talks about the urgent importance of community action, planning and investments to build resilience to impacts of climate change following the devastating winter storms of December 2023 and January 2024. In response to these storms, Governor Mills proposed and authorized the largest recovery support package in Maine history -- $60 million for working waterfronts, business recovery, and public infrastructure projects -- and launched an expert Infrastructure Rebuilding and Recovery Commission to help develop Maine’s first long-term plan for safeguarding Maine communities and people from climate effects like extreme storms, flooding, and storm surge. Hannah will talk about the need for state, regional and local partnerships to address this challenge and efforts underway through her office to support lasting investments in Maine communities, such as through her office’s landmark Community Resilience Partnership program, which in two years has grown to include more than 225 Maine cities, towns, and tribal governments.