{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://pingree.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pingree-announces-15-million-usda-investment-energy-improvements-maine-s", "Pingree Announces $1.5 million USDA Investment for Energy Improvements in Maines Fox Islands", "2017-11-02", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "ME", "Chellie Pingree", "P000597", "pingree.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced today that the Fox Islands Electric Co-Op in Vinalhaven and North Haven, Maine, would receive a $1,579,000 loan from USDA Rural Development to make electrical system improvements.\u00a0\n\u201cMost people probably don\u2019t realize that many of Maine\u2019s year-round island communities actually run their own electrical systems. Upkeeping those systems can be costly and, when taken with some of the highest electricity rates in the country, can be tough for these small, hard-working communities to handle,\u201d Pingree said. \u201cI\u2019m so glad that USDA Rural Development is investing in the Fox Islands Electric Co-Op to make these critical improvements financially possible.\u201d\u00a0\nAccording to USDA Rural Development, funds will be used to improve 5 miles of line and make other system improvements.\u00a0\u00a0\nThe Fox Islands Electric Cooperative is owned by the Maine island communities of Vinalhaven and North Haven, where Congresswoman Pingree is a resident. The electrical energy for the islands' grid is partly purchased from the mainland through our submarine cable, but most of it is generated on Vinalhaven by a community-owned wind farm. The cooperative has approximately 1,950 members.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://pingree.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pingree-announces-15-million-usda-investment-energy-improvements-maine-s"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2180348858237267, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}