President's Budget To Include $10Million For Penobscot River Restoration Project

PRESIDENT'S BUDGET TO INCLUDE $10 MILLION FOR PENOBSCOT RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT

Senator Susan Collins has announced that the President's Budget will include a proposal for $10 million of new funding to restore riverine habitat in Maine's largest watershed in order to rebuild populations of Atlantic Salmon. Late last year, Senator Collins requested funding for this project saying, "The Penobscot River Restoration Project will help revive the social, cultural, and economic traditions of New England's second largest river."

Senator Collins called the funding inclusion in the President's budget, "excellent news that will help this extremely important project move forward."

The $10 million in funding will provide significant federal cost-share towards the purchase of three hydropower dams on the Penobscot River slated for removal. When the project is completed, nearly 1,000 miles of habitat for endangered Atlantic Salmon and other fish species will be restored.

In her funding request letter last year to the Honorable Rob Portman, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the White House's budget office, Senator Collins requested funding for the Penobscot project explaining that the goal of the project is to help restore the natural flow of Maine's largest watershed.

Senator Collins said, "The Penobscot River Restoration project is a crucial conservation effort in our State. I am pleased that the President included funding in his budget."

The text of Senator Collins funding request letter follows:

December 13, 2006

The Honorable Robert J. Portman
Director
Office of Management and Budget
Old Executive Office Building
Washington, DC 20503

Dear Director Portman,

I am writing to request that you include funding for the Penobscot River Restoration Project in the Administration's fiscal year 2008 budget request.

The Penobscot River Restoration Project is a five-year, $50 million project to restore the natural flow of Maine's largest watershed. This project is a partnership of the State of Maine, the U.S. Department of Interior, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Penobscot Indian Nation, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, PPL Corporation, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, and other environmental groups.

The goal of the Penobscot River Restoration Project is the opening of more than 500 miles of habitat to sea-run fish on the Penobscot. This project, which involves removing two dams and bypassing a third, is one of the largest, most creative river restoration projects in our nation's history. In fact, the project was recently highlighted as a successful example of cooperative conservation during Secretary Kempthorne's September 20, 2006 visit to Brewer, Maine. In addition to enhancing Atlantic Salmon recovery efforts, it will also have far-ranging benefits for endangered species, migratory birds, and a diversity of riverine and estuarine wetlands. Finally, the project will help revive the social, cultural and economic traditions of New England's second largest river.

The merits of this project are demonstrated by the fact that it has attracted both federal and private support. Most recently, the Senate Appropriations Committee included funding for both a federal reconnaissance study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as $2.5 million for dam acquisition in the FY 2007 appropriations bills. A private fundraising campaign has already raised nearly $5 million for this important project. However, substantial additional funding is necessary. At this stage, the Administration's support is critical in order to help leverage the private money necessary to see this project through to completion. With this thought in mind, I respectfully request that you include funding in the Administration's FY 2008 request in order to help make this important project a reality. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Susan M. Collins
United States Senator

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