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Federal commission profile
Northern Border Regional Commission
- Authorised
- 2008 (Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008); first funded around 2010
- Statute
- Title 40 of the U.S. Code, Chapter 157 (§ 15733) — the subtitle on regional economic and infrastructure development
- Region
- Rural, distressed counties of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York
- Focus
- Infrastructure, broadband, energy, workforce, and community and business development
- Status
- Active and funded
The Northern Border Regional Commission serves the rural northern reaches of New England and New York — a region of small towns, forests, and former mill communities facing economic distress far from the prosperity of the nearby coastal cities. It was one of the commissions authorised under the modern regional-development subtitle of federal law.
Why it was created
The far-northern counties of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York share a common condition: rural, sparsely populated, and historically dependent on forestry, paper, and manufacturing industries that have contracted. As the 2008 farm bill established a framework for new regional commissions, this one was created to extend a federal–state development partnership to that distinct northern-border region.
What it covers
The commission's territory is defined not as whole states but as a set of eligible counties within the four states — the more rural and economically distressed parts of each. That eligible area has been widened by later reauthorisations, so the precise county list has grown over time and is best checked against the current statute and the commission's own official materials.
How it is governed
It follows the standard federal–state partnership design: a federal co-chair appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, together with the governors of the four member states. Action requires the agreement of the federal co-chair and the collective vote of the governors.
What it funds
The commission's grants support the familiar development priorities of a rural region: transportation and basic infrastructure, broadband and energy, workforce training, and community and business development. Its investments tend to be modest in size but aimed at projects that local governments and organisations in small northern communities could not readily finance on their own.
Funding and status
The commission is active and funded, with a Senate-confirmed federal co-chair. Its annual appropriation has grown over time as the commission matured and was reauthorised, running in recent years at roughly $40 million a year. Precise, current figures are best confirmed against official budget documents.