Tremont Awaits Clarity After FEMA Cancels Federal Climate Resilience Grants

TREMONT—The town of Tremont was meant to be one of the recipients of a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency program called Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC). However, the Trump Administration has stopped the grant program, which might have implications for the town.

Then it again, it might not.

Tremont had been approved for a FY23 BRIC project for its Steamboat Road Shoreline Stabilization Scoping Application. The proposed federal funding was $75,003 with the local share of $23,448.

It had also been approved that same year for its Crockett Point Road Improvements Scoping Application for $118,923 with the local share of $38,219.

And, it had also been approved for its Cape Road Shoreline Stabilization Scoping Application for $71,214 with a $22,260 local share.

Finally, the wharf was up for a federal grant of $200,337 with a $62,614 local share.

The April 4, 2025 press release from FEMA said it was cancelling all of the BRIC grants awarded from FY 2020 and 2023.

“The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters. Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, we are committed to ensuring that Americans in crisis can get the help and resources they need.”

HOW TREMONT IS IMPACTED

Via Maine.Gov

Town Manager Jesse Dunbar had a "kick off" meeting via Zoom with MEMA on April 10.

“She assured me the funding for our grants is secure and available, I am still a little unsure and want to be extra cautious before expending our own funds, as these grants are all reimbursement type grants,” Dunbar said.

A request to MEMA for how Tremont’s funding was impacted, if at all, was referred back to Dunbar. Dunbar, however, is also trying to find out those details from MEMA. The Bar Harbor Story has been in touch with MEMA, which has responded, but the agency was unable to hammer out those details for us for a couple of weeks.

The town has not yet expended any of the funds.

“As the grant climate changed drastically in January, I was holding out waiting to see what would happen with them, and am still leery of whether or not they are there, or could be yanked back mid project,” Dunbar said. “The select board will be having a discussion on what to do with the grants/ projects, as all four of them are for ‘project scoping’ (design) with the initial intent of reapplying the following year for the actual project grant.”

The board will decide if it should continue with the design if it turns out that there is not funding available for the actual project. There could potentially be some flood grant money used if the BRIC money is not available.

A FY 2021 grant to Hancock County for a county hazard mitigation plan update was not impacted because the funds had already been expended. The federal share of that award was $17,789.20. Recent BRIC applications submitted from the Town of Eastbrook and Hancock County Planning Commission have been directed to the Flood Mitigation FMA program as an alternative.

Via Maine.Gov

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STATE CLIMATE RESILIENCE MEASURES

On April 22, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed LD1.

Senate President Mattie Daughtry, House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart, and House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham sponsored the bill, which is meant to help emergency planning at multiple levels in the government.

The bill uses $39 million “in existing fee-based funding through the Bureau of Insurance and certain federal funds to invest in critical storm resilience measures,” according to the press release issued by the state.

Begun in 2020, during President Trump’s first administration, the federal BRIC program had dispersed approximately $133 million for local resilience projects. That amount has grown since the program began. The rescinding of the grants calls for the return of approximately $882 million in yet-to-be-spent funds.

Approximately $5 million of that money was for 30 separate Maine resiliency projects. Returned funds will added to FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund or the U.S. Treasury.

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The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Rick Osann Art.

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LINK TO LEARN MORE

FOR A LIST OF THE MAINE PROJECTS IMPACTED BY BRIC CHANGES:

https://www.maine.gov/mema/grants/mitigation-grants

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