Article from York County Government...

​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. 

​The Problem: Bureaucracy at a Snail's Pace
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Three essential FEMA Category B emergency protective measures—for Saco, Old Orchard Beach, and Wells—are effectively STUCK in an endless loop of EHP review.

• Saco – 8 months
• Wells – 8 Months
• Old Orchard Beach 7 Months

The Ticking Clock ⏳

Even once the EHP review is finally complete, FEMA requires an additional 60-day Secretarial Review because project costs exceed $100,000. This additional, unnecessary, and duplicative review instituted under the Trump Administration creates an administrative burden and puts at risk our ability to complete work this dredge season. We need Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to prioritize this new review step because of the time-sensitive nature of our local projects. Dredging activities must be completed between November and March, so it’s crunch time for our coastal communities.

The Impact: Another Year of Exposure

The result? Projects that were originally scheduled to start this past November could be delayed to next November if we don’t see an overall sense of urgency by this administration. This translates to:

• A nearly three-year delay since the January 2024 federally-declared disaster.
• Our coastal communities must face another full storm season without the essential natural defenses they lost.
• Commercial infrastructure and private properties remain at continued, unnecessary risk.

The County's Demand: Direct Congressional Action

The Commissioners' letter is a clear, urgent plea for our Congressional Delegation to use their authority to:

1. Expedite the EHP Review: Push FEMA to immediately conclude the Environmental and Historic Preservation review process for all three projects.
2. Accelerate Secretarial Approval: Cut through the 60-day review to ensure projects can meet the March 2026 dredging deadline.
3. Authorize Alternatives: Establish different, faster approval pathways for emergency protective measures that are facing seasonal construction constraints like ours.

The Bottom Line

York County should NOT be forced to wait any longer for protection and recovery from a federally declared disaster. The County is ready to provide all necessary technical information to get these projects moving, use our County-owned dredge, and work with our communities to advance coastal protection measures. No more delays.

We need our Federal representatives to act NOW to protect our coast, our infrastructure, and our future.
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We’re waiting on Washington. Bureaucracy is drowning our beaches. Our coastal communities can’t wait any longer. We need Federal action now. 

Contact Our Congressional Delegation to Demand No More Delays

U.S. Senator Susan Collins

Washington, D.C. Office Phone (202) 224-2523

Augusta: (207) 622-8414

Bangor: (207) 945-0417

Biddeford: (207) 283-1101

Portland: (207) 618-5560

Email: https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact

U.S. Senator Angus King

Washington, D.C. Office Phone (202) 224-5344

Augusta: (207) 622-8292

Bangor: (207) 945-8000

Biddeford: (207) 352-5216

Portland: (207) 245-1565

Toll-Free(800) 432-1599

Email: https://www.king.senate.gov/contact

U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree

Washington, D.C. Office Phone (202) 225-6116

Portland: (207) 774-5019

Waterville: (207) 873-5713

Email: https://pingree.house.gov/contact/

We voted as a commission for the county to accept an additional $600,000 from two proposed opioid settlements—one from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, and the other with various opioid manufacturers. This is in addition to the estimated $4.6 million in an initial opioid settlement from pharmaceutical companies that will be received over an 18-year period for our county.

We are immediately putting it to good use to fuel recovery for those with substance use disorders throughout our county. All the opioid settlement funds received by the county will go towards construction and programming for our new Substance Use Treatment & Recovery Center.

The York County Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Center will be the first of its kind in Maine. It will feature 58 beds—including 50 licensed substance use disorder beds and 8 observation beds—and offer comprehensive detox, inpatient, and outpatient services, with a specific focus on care for our rural communities.
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Construction is underway with the hope that the project can be completed by the end of 2026.

​On this Labor Day, let us reimagine a better way forward and an economic structure that benefits the many, not just the few at the top.   

With wealth and income inequality growing, the looming threat of AI radically shifting who works and who gets to work, a healthcare system that bankrupts people, a retirement system that pushes seniors into poverty, a housing environment that prices people out of homes, and food pantries stretched to the max as so many Americans struggle to make ends meet, something’s got to change. The system and structures we have in place are no longer working for the average American. People feel shut out, disheartened, and overwhelmed by the weight of just trying to live our lives the best we can. The deck feels stacked against us. 

We have a moral obligation to lift up vulnerable members of our community. Poverty isn’t acceptable in the most powerful nation on Earth. Bold leadership is required to ensure every family has an equal opportunity to earn the American Dream, which feels out of reach today. No one should go hungry. Everyone should have a roof over their heads. These are basic necessities for our shared human experience. When your baseline needs are met, without the constant worry of where your next meal is coming from or how you’re going to pay rent this month, you are more likely to become productive members of society and contribute to a higher calling. People should have a baseline income floor.

No single solution will wave a magic wand, but we must throw out the old playbook and develop innovative ways to improve our collective quality of life and secure a better future. Today I’m announcing my support, not for a specific candidate, but for a policy movement in Counties for a Guaranteed Income. I’m proud to be the first Maine elected official to join this coalition of voices to help people go from surviving to thriving. It should not be a radical concept to want the best for our friends, family, and neighbors, to have the ability to live happy, healthy, and successful lives. In fact, I believe it’s what makes us inherently human.

​We must do things differently.