Breaking the Logjam: MAJOR WIN FOR YORK COUNTY COASTAL PROJECTS

​Our latest advocacy push worked! After navigating numerous federal bureaucratic hurdles for many months, we have finally received a green light to protect our shorelines. FEMA has cleared the path for three critical Category B Sand Replenishment Projects to move forward immediately in York County.

Here is our newly updated project timeline:

• Old Orchard Beach: Sand replenishment is greenlighted to begin any day now, but likely in January after the holidays.
• Wells: The county dredge is officially scheduled to begin operations in January and last for several weeks.
• Saco: After obtaining one more final permit approval, which we expect to receive in early January, dredge work will commence immediately, taking place this dredge season before March and lasting several weeks.  

What Changed?

Initially, FEMA required a final review and sign-off from the Secretary of Homeland Security. However, after relentless advocacy from our York County Commission, SOS Saco Bay, state lawmakers, local officials, and our congressional delegation, FEMA Region 1 clarified that, because these are reimbursable grants, these specific projects can proceed without the additional review process delays. All Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) reviews have now been cleared, a process that took upwards of eight months to complete.

A Message of Thanks

This victory was truly a team effort, and it wouldn’t have happened without the advocacy of a long list of state, local, and Federal officials. Over the last two weeks alone, we have all rallied to engage our congressional delegation and put pressure to create a sense of urgency around this Federal logjam.

This is where York County Government played a critical role in being the glue that brought all levels of government together to champion real progress and results for our residents. Our county is lucky to have the tireless work of Art Cleaves running our York County Emergency Management team. Our Commission directed him to champion and run the dredge program, and he has been working around the clock to get this up and running through all these various stages of this long process.

The ongoing advocacy of SOS Saco Bay has ensured that the issue of coastal protection remains at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and the relationships they’ve built have ensured that no one forgets Camp Ellis and our entire coastline in policy and funding discussions.

Thank you for the support from Senator Donna Bailey, State Representatives Lori Gramlich, Marshall Archer, Lynn Copeland, and Bob Foley, Saco Mayor Jodi MacPhail, and to our congressional delegation, including Senator Collins’ staff, for coming together through letters, emails, and calls to ensure our plight was heard and action was taken swiftly.
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Looking forward to seeing the county-run dredge in action come January and the continued progress around protecting our coastline from future storm and erosion damage. There is a lot more work ahead, but county leadership will continue to be part of the collective effort and long-term solutions.