Amid news of spending freezes or potential ones at the federal level last week, Wiscasset Newspaper asked locally and nationally where things stand with the $5 million in earmarked, Congressionally directed spending toward the Wiscasset sewer plant's projected $50 million move to where public works is now; the price tag includes moving public works to the transfer station property. 

Dec. 3, Wiscasset voters approved tapping the town's undesignated fund balance for a $353,750 local match on another $4 million in outside funding won toward the project; that $4 million is from the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund. Town officials have said they did not yet know how much more in local taxes will have to go toward the project, how much might be borne by sewer ratepayers rather than all taxpayers, or how much more aid the town will get to lessen the local burden.

Wiscasset Newspaper asked Town Manager Dennis Simmons last week if the latest developments on federal spending gave him concern about the money federally earmarked for the move. "Changes in spending priorities come with the change in administrations," Simmons said Friday. "But yes, I had concerns about current and future availability of federal funds for the WWTP (wastewater treatment plant), airport and any possible future major projects."

How confident was he feeling about the $5 million and prospects for any additional federal funding for the sewer plant project? "There still seems to be some confusion with the federal agencies we are dealing with as to what is frozen and what is not," Simmons said. "It is a fluid situation and so I am taking a very cautious approach and working on possible alternative solutions and funding ... We will make the best of whatever decisions are made."

A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R — Maine, chair of the Senate appropriations committee, fielded Wiscasset Newspaper's questions on the $5 million. "We have confirmed with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the agency responsible for administering the $5,000,000 Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) award for Wiscasset, that at this time EPA CDS awards are not paused," Phoebe Ferraiolo said Thursday.

Ferraiolo added in a subsequent email, "We are working closely with agencies to understand the implications of the President’s Executive Orders and what programs are and are not affected. This is a fluid situation and often responses are coming in on a program-by-program and case-by-case basis. At this time, the EPA has confirmed that this funding for Wiscasset is not frozen under the Executive Orders to temporarily freeze funding. These orders are still in place, but the OMB (White House Office of Management and Budget) memo that provided a specific way for agencies (like EPA) to implement the Executive Orders was rescinded."

WhiteHouse.gov posted a question and answer section explaining some of last week's matters. The posting read in part, "To act as faithful stewards of taxpayer money, new administrations must review federal programs to ensure that they are being executed in accordance with the law and the new President’s policies." 

The posting at whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/01/omb-q-a-regarding-memorandum-m-25-13/ said the spending pause did not apply to programs "not implicated by the President’s Executive Orders."