Record $5.7M awarded for in-lieu-of-fee conservation projects in Maine
Courtesy / Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program
The Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program on Tuesday announced a $5.7 million round of grants designed to offset the environmental impact of development.
A total of $5.7 million has been awarded for 24 projects that will restore, enhance or protect wetlands and other natural resources in the state, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection said Tuesday.
Both the total and the number of projects are the most the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program has awarded in a single year since the program's beginning in 2008.
Recipients this year include a project to restore eelgrass in Brunswick and Harpswell; salt marsh enhancement projects in Hancock, Georgetown and Wells; the removal of a dam in Freeport; a culvert upgrade in Hancock County; and preservation of high-value wetlands at sites ranging from 16 acres to over 900 acres in 22 towns in 10 different Maine counties.
The Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program is part of the state’s In Lieu Fee Compensation Program, which allows developers who are seeking permits for environmental effect to pay a fee to the state to compensate for that impact. The fees are collected by the Maine DEP and are transferred to a dedicated fund where they are pooled together with fees from other projects.
The goal is to help offset unavoidable impacts to natural resources at one site by funding the restoration or preservation of similar resources at another site within the same region of the state. The program is administered by the Nature Conservancy on behalf of the Maine DEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The conservancy does not have a vote on which proposals are approved for funding.
Since its introduction 13 years ago, the program has awarded over $25 million for more than 150 restoration and conservation projects.
“This funding round included projects that not only meet Maine’s mitigation requirements, but also meet state-wide goals for addressing marsh migration and climate resiliency,” said Maine DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim.
In 2022, MNRCP will be seeking more wetland restoration and enhancement projects, as these projects better address state and federal mitigation policy and address state conservation planning goals. MNRCP will also continue to look for projects that restore or protect coastal ecosystems, including salt marshes, eelgrass beds and other intertidal and subtidal habitats.
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