BIDDEFORD, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King joined Maine National Guard Major General Doug Farnham and Rear Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, Commander of the First Coast Guard District, to tour the recently refurbished Wood Island Life Saving Station in Kittery. Owned by the town of Kittery, the project is being undertaken by a local nonprofit working with civic groups, state and federal agencies, and private donors to create a public facility memorializing the earliest days of the United States Life Saving Service, which later became the United States Coast Guard. In June, the Maine National Guard rebuilt the island’s sea wall, protecting the life saving station, and has made preparations for rebuilding the marine railway. Opened in 1908, the Wood Island Station is the only life saving station in the U.S. with a surviving marine railway, which was used to launch rescue boats. Senators King and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have provided letters of support for grant applications and funding to help Wood Island Life Saving Station complete its renovations.

“The Maine National Guard knows a thing or two about readiness,” said Senator King. “Their hard work on the Wood Island Life Saving Station this June for their ‘innovative readiness training’ has provided the 110 year old station with a renovated sea wall. This restoration project is an example of Maine determination and collaboration; my thanks Sam Reid and his team of community volunteers, as well as the 136th Engineer Company for helping preserve this special part of our state’s rich history.”

Following the visit to Wood Island Life Saving Station, Senator King, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, toured the Pepperell Mill Campus in Biddeford with developer Doug Sanford, to discuss the revitalization of the campus which has brought new businesses and residents to the community. Senator King then joined Biddeford City officials, Sanford and members of his team, and Phil Coupe of Revision Energy to announce a 1,200 solar panel roof project on the campus. The solar array is projected to generate enough electricity to provide power to all of the Pepperell Mill Campus’s residential units.

“Solar power helps communities meet their energy needs in an efficient, environmentally-friendly, and cost-effective way,” said Senator King. “Forward-thinking projects like the one at the Pepperall Mill Campus empower consumers and businesses alike by creating a resilient and independent energy grid; these efforts will improve quality of life for Maine people, and represent an important step for Maine’s energy future.”

Through his work on the ENR Committee, Senator King has continually pushed for cost-effective strategies to strengthen U.S. energy systems and support modern opportunities to make the grid more resilient. Last year, he introduced the Next Generation Grid Resources and Infrastructure Development (GRID) Act. The legislation would encourage energy independence, foster innovation, and leverage federal resources to support a more resilient 21^st century electricity grid through the use of distributed energy resources (DER) like solar panels. Also last year, Senator King announced his support for the Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act of 2017, bipartisan legislation that would establish an investment tax credit (ITC) for business and home use of energy storage.