2010 Bond Package
March 11, 2010 -
Last week, legislative Democrats unveiled our $99 million jobs bond package. Currently, the construction and trades industries are facing 30% unemployment. With our bonding capacity solid, Democrats felt we needed to put our ideas out there to get people back to work. The bond package provides a great combination of projects and makes necessary investments in our infrastructure.
$72.5 million of the total bond will be used for transportation projects all across the state. A huge portion will be pavement preservation of roads and bridges with another huge piece for rail (Aroostook County Rail and Lewiston/Auburn upgrades).
The bond would also authorize $20 million in funds for energy efficiency improvements to K-12 and higher education institutions. $15 million would be reserved for K-12, and $5 will be available in competitive grants geared towards energy improvements for K-12, colleges, and universities across Maine.
The last bond component would be focused on waste water treatment. The bond requests $6.6 million for waste water treatment improvements. Maine's investment would make the state eligible for $25.8 million in federal funds.
Overall, the bond package is a targeted jobs package that helps build the foundation to get more Mainers back to work. What do you think?
