WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee (ENR) and Chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee, welcomed the bipartisan passage out of the ENR Committee a legislative package as the 118^th Congressional session winds down. The package includes King-backed provisions to expand access to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and the renaming of an Acadia Visitors Center to honor former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, as well as bipartisan legislation to reduce dependence on China for critical minerals and legislation to provide coastal communities with infrastructure funding from fees associated with offshore wind development. The package will now head to the Senate floor for full consideration.

“The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has once again come together on a bipartisan basis to advance environmental and energy priorities for the future of Maine and our country,” said Senator King. “As we continue to face new challenges, we must make bold investments to improve our present and future. From helping our nation get a head start on the global race for critical minerals found in our smartphones and connected devices, to ensuring coastal communities have the funds to bolster resiliency, our work on the Committee this Congress aims to address these current and future challenges. This package will also directly support economic development in Maine — helping the Katahdin region continue to grow as a vibrant outdoor recreation destination and support the region’s revamped forest products economy.

“I am also proud that my bill that will honor the storied career of former U.S. Senator George Mitchell of Maine by renaming an Acadia National Park Visitor Center; it would be a reminder to Maine people and visitors of his steadfast commitment to our state and nation,” continued Senator King. “All told, I am grateful my colleagues were able to find common ground and come together to ensure we have the resources to build a brighter, more resilient tomorrow.”

As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator King has advocated for climate solutions that invest in clean energy and support Maine communities. He has been a strong supporter of the University of Maine’s offshore wind efforts, and recently urged Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to expedite federal consideration of UMaine’s program. Senator King is also a cosponsor of the Clean Economy Act, which would put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050, and the Renewable Electricity Standard Act which would put the U.S. on a trajectory to decarbonize the power sector by 2050. 

As Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks and a lifelong advocate for conservation, Senator King has spent decades championing environmental stewardship and advocacy. Senator King was an active participant in discussions to ensure that the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument would not be designated against the will of local citizens. After it became clear that the monument had widespread public backing, supported Maine’s longstanding outdoor traditions, and yielded economic benefits to the region, King pushed against a 2017 Department of the Interior review that threatened to roll back the designation. Senator King previously introduced a version of the Katahdin Woods and Waters Access Act in a previous Congress. Senator King also led the Great American Outdoors Act to address the $12 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks. For his continued leadership, Senator King was awarded the inaugural National Park Foundation “Hero” Award.

Additionally, Senator King is committed to advancing American competitiveness in 21st century technologies and reducing America’s reliance on fossil fuels while improving national security and strengthening cyberdefenses. Senator King is the co-chair of the Senate Semiconductor Caucus, and has been one of the Senate’s leading advocates for improving battery technology and recycling as a way to strengthen national security and create good-paying American jobs. He previously introduced the Battery Material Processing and Component Manufacturing Act, to boost domestic production of batteries, and the Battery and Critical Mineral Recycling Act of 2021, to incentivize the recycling of single use and rechargeable batteries. 

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The Energy and Natural Resources Committee End-of-Congress Package includes King-backed provisions to:

RENAME ACADIA VISITOR CENTER AFTER U.S. SENATOR GEORGE MITCHELL. This bipartisan bill would redesignate the Hulls Cove Visitor Center at Acadia National Park as the “George J. Mitchell, Jr., Visitor Center,” in honor of U.S. Senator George Mitchell of Maine. Senator Mitchell served as a Senator from Maine from 1980 until 1995, and as Senate Majority Leader from 1989 until his retirement in 1995.

AUTHORIZE ADDITIONAL ACCESS TO KATAHDIN WOODS AND WATERS (KWW) NATIONAL MONUMENT. The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Access Act would authorize additional access points to KWW by giving the National Park Service (NPS) permission to acquire land for road access to the Monument from the south from willing donors or sellers, either in fee or as an easement.. If the NPS exercises its new acquisition authority, it would then use that land to better connect the Monument to the Millinocket region and major roadways. The bill also includes provisions to allow the NPS to acquire buildings for Monument administration and visitor services outside of park boundaries.

REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON CHINA FOR KEY MINERALS. The bipartisan Critical Minerals Security Act would counter Chinese industry dominance by directing the U.S. Department of the Interior to evaluate the global supply and ownership of critical minerals. It would also establish a process for assisting U.S. companies seeking to divest critical minerals operations in foreign countries, and develop a method for sharing intellectual property for clean mining and processing technologies with U.S. allies and partners.

SHARE OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY REVENUES WITH MAINE COMMUNITIES. The bipartisan Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems (RISEE) Act would send 37.5% of revenues from projects in federal waters to the coastal states that invested in wind farms. Under the bill, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) would be amended to direct revenues from future offshore wind construction to shoreline states like Maine for the purpose of coastal protection and resiliency.

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