"This funding will help communities assess and clean up contaminated sites so they can be safely redeveloped for housing, businesses, recreation and other community priorities," said Mark Sanborn, the EPA's regional administrator for New England.
Every year, the Downeast region draws thousands of runners, tens of thousands of boaters and millions of hikers and bikers. Although varying by orders of magnitude, the numbers support businesses, jobs and communities.
The Maine Sports Commission estimated the 2023 MDI Marathon generated over $2.1 million for the local economy and the Millinocket Marathon’s 2015 through 2021 editions generated a total of $2.8 million for the Katahdin region.
Additional access roadways would bring visitors closer to the Millinocket community and could expand the Katahdin region’s tourism economy, according to proponents.