U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross says the department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2.166 million grant to the Governor’s Energy Office, Augusta, Maine, to develop a roadmap for establishing an offshore wind power industry.
The EDA grant will be matched with $267,624 in state funds and $112,457 in local funds.
“Maine is committed to the development of clean energy, the fight against climate change and the pursuit of innovation to broaden and strengthen economic opportunities for our people,” said Governor Janet Mills. “This important award will give Maine a roadmap for growing our clean energy economy in collaboration with our heritage industries, especially fishing, in order to support our state’s economic recovery from COVID-19 and sound the call that Maine intends to be a global competitor in floating offshore wind.”
This project is funded under the (Pub. L. 116-20), in which Congress appropriated $600 million to EDA in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program funds for disaster relief and recovery as a result of hurricanes, wildfires and other calendar year 2017 natural disasters under the Stafford Act.
An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote U.S. innovation and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.