Congress Approves $5 Million for East Millinocket Revitalization Secured by Senator Collins
The funding now heads to the President to be signed into law
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $5,000,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to revitalize the Town of East Millinocket in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill. The bill, which was included in legislation that passed the Senate today, now heads to the President to be signed into law.
“The Town of East Millinocket is rich in history and community. This is in large part due to the Great Northern Paper Company mill, which was a large source of revenue before its closure,” said Senator Collins. “As Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure this funding, which will support the continued redevelopment of the former Great Northern Paper Mill site, helping to restore economic opportunities in the region.”
"This investment is another important step in East Millinocket’s efforts to revitalize the region’s economy by upgrading the facilities and infrastructure business will need to expand and locate on the former Great Northern mill site. Our redevelopment efforts depend upon the strong support of Senator Collins and Senator King, especially Senator Collins' leadership on the Appropriation Committee, which is critically important for the State of Maine,” said Former U.S. Representative and Chairman of East Millinocket Board of Selectman Michael Michaud.
This funding will continue the redevelopment of the former Great Northern mill site by stabilizing and rehabilitating existing structures — adding strategic infrastructure for priority projects and continuing site clean-up for redevelopment and construction of new facilities.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending.? Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023.? As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championingtargeted investments that willbenefit Maine communities.??
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