Archives

WASHINGTON, DC - July 12, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Congressman Mike Michaud announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the State of Maine $10,581,799 under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and $3,430,081 under the HOME Program.

Washington, D.C. - March 1, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Under questioning today by Senator Susan Collins, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shawn Donovan agreed to update federal guidelines to classify wood pellet boilers as an "acceptable" primary heating source for the purpose of Federal Housing Authority (FHA) financing.

AUGUSTA, ME - December 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor Paul LePage has asked Maine State Housing Authority and Efficiency Maine Trust to develop a contingency plan to address the unmet need should Congress not appropriate sufficient funds for the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) this winter season.

Washington, DC - June 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Susan Collins today announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the Caribou Housing Agency a grant in the amount of $48,729 to support its Housing Choice Voucher Family Self Sufficiency Program. This program is intended to help low-income families, who receive federal housing assistance, receive training and education, find jobs, save money, and eventually become financially independent, including becoming homeowners

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today welcomed members of Maine’s Housing Authorities to Washington to discuss their concerns and priorities regarding affordable housing opportunities throughout the state. Representatives of the Auburn Housing Authority, Westbrook Housing Authority, Portland Housing Authority, South Portland Housing and Avesta Housing met with Senator Snowe and discussed the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the Small Housing Authority Reform Proposal (SHARP), and several other issues.

BELFAST, ME - February 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Belfast Water District in partnership with the Maine Department of Environmental Projection (Maine DEP) and the Maine Drinking Water Program recently completed the first phase of an Oil Tank Replacement Program for homeowners who live in the Belfast Watershed Protection area in Belfast and Swanville.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) applauded President Obama’s support for provisions in S. 1637, the Expanding Building Efficiency Incentives Act, legislation they sponsored last Congress to encourage energy efficient technology and construction in the existing home, new home, and commercial building markets.

AUGUSTA, ME - November 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), working closely with the Town of Patten and the Maine Rural Water Association, is overseeing the replacement of approximately 30 home heating oil tanks in the wellhead protection area of the Patten Water Department.

Washington, DC - October 21, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) is urging Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to reinforce their commitment to safeguarding the legal rights of borrowers in view of recent allegations of defective and flawed foreclosure documentation at several of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders. Senator Snowe’s comments were made following today’s announcement by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, government sponsored enterprises placed into conservatorship of the FHFA in 2008 and currently financed by taxpayers, would need as much as an additional $215 billion over the next three years to meet their financial obligations.

WASHINGTON, DC - October 21, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) is reminding Mainers of home heating assistance programs and resources available in anticipation of higher heating costs during the cold winter months. “Increased heating expenses could exacerbate the economic storm weathered by families and businesses throughout Maine this year, and it is crucial that Mainers move forward with energy efficiency improvements,” said Senator Snowe, citing the recently released October 2010 Short-Term Energy Outlook by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), which estimated households heating primarily with heating oil will spend an average of about $220 (12 percent) more this winter

Washington, D.C. - September 27, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Susan Collins recently joined her colleagues, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), in introducing bipartisan legislation that would set targets for utilities to obtain an increasing percentage of electricity supplies from renewable sources

July 20, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Professional & Financial Regulation - Consumer Credit RegulationThe Maine Housing Counseling Network with assistance and support from the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the MaineHousing continues its series of free Foreclosure Prevention Clinics this Thursday afternoon and evening in Sanford. The fourth in this series will be held next month in Bangor. Others taken place this summer in Augusta and Portland.

PORTLAND, ME - June 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor John E. Baldacci today joined officials from Tufts Medical Center, Developers Collaborative, the City of Portland, Portland builders and Gorham Savings Bank for the ribbon cutting of Crescent Heights, the latest apartment building in Portland. The building, primarily intended for use by medical students, is LEED-certified and planned with smart growth in mind.

AUGUSTA, ME - June 15, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Governor John E. Baldacci today signed an Executive Order creating the ATV Stop Work Group. The purpose of the work group is to gather information about the controversial issue of law enforcement stops of ATV riders on private property and develop recommendations and a draft enforcement policy for how to promote safety, protect private property and ensure that any stops of ATV riders are done in accordance with constitutional protections

June 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Professional & Financial Regulation - Consumer Credit RegulationThe Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection signed a contract on Monday with Washington Hancock Community Agency (WHCA), increasing the number of housing counselors serving Maine homeowners. This contract adds a ninth certified housing counseling service to the eight non-profit agencies currently under contract around the State.