Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. X X V I I I D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5 6 Feds grant $20M to improve Maine's aging water systems e state of Maine will receive $19.6 million in federal funds to help fi nance improvements to sewage plants and drinking water sys- tems throughout the state, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said recently. e Clean Water State Revolving Fund program, admin- istered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Maine Municipal Bond Bank, will receive $10.8 million. e funding will go toward low-interest loans for water quality protection projects to make improvements to wastewater treatment systems, control pollution from storm-water runoff and protect sensitive water bodies and estuaries. e Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program, administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the state bond bank, is receiving the other $8.8 mil- lion to fund projects with a focus on small and disadvantaged communities and programs that encourage pollu- tion prevention. Maine's seaweed pro le grows in the state and beyond Maine's seaweed harvesters col- lected 17.7 million pounds of seaweed in 2014, setting a new state record. e Associated Press reported Dec. 2 that the state supports more than 20 companies that grow or collect seaweed. In 2006, Maine overtook California as the country's biggest producer of seaweed, but both are dwarfed by Asian countries. Hillary Krapf, founder of the Maine Seaweed Festival, told the AP that this year's festival in South Portland drew more than 3,000 people, more than double the fi rst year. Ban on shrimp shing in Maine extended for third year Federal regulators have canceled commercial shrimp fi shing in the Gulf of Maine for a third winter in a row due to continuingly depleted populations. e Bangor Daily News reported Dec. 8 that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will continue the moratorium on fi shing shrimp in the gulf that it put in place in December 2013. e fi sheries commission warned that New England's warming waters make for an "increasingly inhospi- table" environment for shrimp. A commission spokeswoman told the BDN that the estimated numbers for shrimp in the Gulf of Maine from 2012 to 2015 were at the lowest point in 32 years. e ban has "a huge economic impact" on fi shermen, many of whom rely on shrimping for winter income, the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association said in a statement to the BDN. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded a total of $439,537 to several hous- ing authorities and municipalities in Maine as part of the department's Family Self-Suffi ciency Program. Grants were awarded to Portland Housing Authority, $72,012; Lewiston Housing Authority, $57,820; Bangor Housing Authority, $57,050; Maine State Housing Authority, $54,031; Housing Authority of the city of Brewer, $52,832; city of Caribou, $48,729; Westbrook Housing Authority, $40,607; Augusta Housing Authority, $32,484; and Housing Authority of the city of Old Town, $23,972. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded funding to support research and training at University of Maine Orono, $140,653; Jackson Laboratory, $130,745; and Mount Desert Island Biological Lab, $127,935. BIW to receive another destroyer contract from Navy e Navy has agreed to award a con- tract to build a destroyer at Bath Iron Works in addition to the fi ve already under contract, but Congress must still authorize and approve funding for the sixth ship. By awarding the contract to the Maine shipyard, the Navy would be honoring a 2002 agreement to build a ship at BIW if it awarded a con- tract for an amphibious attack ship to a shipyard in Mississippi. Defense News reported that the Department of Defense announced Dec. 4 it was B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E S O U T H E R N choosingmemic. Since 1998, MEMIC has returned nearly $200 million to our Maine-based policyholders in the form of dividends and returned capital. Our record $18 million 2015 dividend returns the equivalent of more than 14 percent of policyholder premiums. For superior workplace safety resources and the best claims service, make the right choice—make sure you're one of the more than 18,000 Maine employers choosing MEMIC. There are millions of reasons MEMIC is Maine's leading workers' comp insurer. Talk to your agent or go to www.memic.com.

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