The Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) announced today that Governor Janet Mills has been elected by her fellow governors to serve as the State Co-Chair of the Commission.
Created in 2008, the NBRC is a Federal-State partnership focused on alleviating economic distress and encouraging private sector job creation in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. The Commission is led by a Federal Co-Chair nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and a State Co-Chair elected by member state governors.
Governor Mills will succeed New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who has served as served as State Co-Chair since February 2020.
“In Maine, we’ve grown our economy at a faster rate than much larger states by investing in our people and the things they need to succeed. I look forward to applying lessons from our success as I work with my fellow Governors and our federal partners to support economic growth throughout our region,” said Governor Janet Mills. “I extend my gratitude to Governor Sununu for his dedicated work as State Co-Chair over the last four years and thank the Maine Congressional Delegation for its continued to work to provide federal resources for this vital organization.”
“We are incredibly excited to welcome the leadership of Governor Mills as State Co-Chair of the Commission. The Governor has a well thought out vision for economic growth in Maine and our region will benefit from the creativity and dedication of her and her team,” said Federal Co-Chair Chris Saunders. “We also thank Governor Sununu and his alternate, Taylor Caswell, for their dedicated service to the Commission for the past four years.”
Governor Mills has been elected to serve a two-year term and becomes the third-ever Governor to serve as State Co-Chair of the NBRC. Economic & Community Development Commissioner Heather Johnson will continue to serve as the Governor’s alternate, representing the Governor and acting on her behalf at Commission meetings.
In August, Governor Mills, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, and NBRC Federal Co-Chair Chris Saunders visited the University of Maine in Orono to announce $11 million in federal funding had been awarded to Maine organizations through the NBRC’s Catalyst Program. Last year’s Catalyst Program, which made available $44 million in awards across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, represented the single largest grant round in the history of the NBRC.
More information on the Catalyst Program – which this year will make award $50 million in infrastructure grants made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – can be found on the NBRC’s website.
Under Governor Mills’ leadership, Maine has experienced record economic growth. Recently released federal data shows that from 2019 – the year Governor Mills took office – through the third quarter of 2023, Maine’s real Gross Domestic Product grew at 9.2 percent. That rate of growth was the best in New England, and outperformed growth in larger states like New York (3.5 percent), California (7.6 percent), and Virginia (8.2 percent).