PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 5, 2021
Earmarks – member-requested funding initiatives – are returning to Congress after a decadelong ban, giving Maine nonprofits, municipalities, counties and state government a chance to ask their representatives for federal funding for specific projects. Rep. Chellie Pingree chairs the House subcommittee that controls the purse strings for the Environmental Protection Agency and most Interior Department agencies. She can influence the opportunity to acquire additional recreational and conservation land; a chance to assist with the next stage of the state’s forest products industry; and an opportunity to help communities deal with climate change and sea level rise issues as they relate to water and sewage infrastructure. Sen. Susan Collins is the ranking Republican on the Senate subcommittee that appropriates funds for the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.