WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded a $500,000 Economic Recovery Assistance grant to Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EMDC). The funding will be used to establish a plan to support redevelopment and revitalization in Eastern Maine and to provide assistance to businesses that have been affected by the closure of manufacturing plants.

“Collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential for promoting business expansion and robust job growth,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “By supporting the establishment and revitalization of local businesses in Eastern Maine, this investment will help communities and entrepreneurs attract investment, create jobs, and strengthen our state’s economy.”

EMDC is a private, non-profit organization established in 1967. The Corporation is located in Bangor and serves the four Eastern Counties of Maine: Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis Counties as well as portions of Waldo County.

As the only federal government agency focused exclusively on economic development, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) fosters regional economic development efforts in communities across the nation. Through strategic investments that foster job creation and attract private investment, EDA supports development in economically distressed areas of the United States.

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