WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced the procurement of a $41,400 Rural Development grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help purchase a new ambulance for the Upper Kennebec Valley Ambulance Service and a grant of $30,000 to the Peabody Memorial Library in Jonesport to help expand the library. “Prompt and effective emergency medical services are essential in Maine’s rural areas, where responsive care can mean the difference between life and death. The additional ambulance made possible with this grant will undoubtedly contribute to that effort in the Upper Kennebec Valley region,” Senators Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement. “Furthermore, the additional funding to expand the Peabody Memorial Library will allow the library to provide more efficient services to the Jonesport community." The USDA Rural Development program provides financial loans and grants to help improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The funds are used for community programs, which seek to construct or improve community facilities for health care, public safety, and public services.