In a letter to Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer and Ranking Member Jim Inhofe, Senator Susan Collins has requested that the Penobscot River Restoration Act, which she coauthored, be included in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
Following is the full text of Senator Collins’ letter.
Dear Chairman Boxer and Ranking Member Inhofe,
I am writing to request that you include S. 424, the Penobscot River Restoration Act, in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. This legislation would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to play a major role in Penobscot River Restoration Project. Specifically, the legislation would authorize the Army Corps to carry out phase two of the project, involving removing two dams and bypassing a third.
The Penobscot River Restoration Project is a five-year, $50 million project to restore the natural flow of Maine's largest watershed. The 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. It would open 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 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 project has gained important federal and private support. Most recently, the Administration has proposed $10 million for the project in the FY 2008 budget request. The Senate Appropriations Committee has originally 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 FY 2007 appropriations bills. A private fundraising campaign has already raised nearly $5 million.
The Penobscot River Restoration Project is one of the most important environmental restoration projects ever undertaken. Including S.424 in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 is critical to ensure the success of the project. Thank you for your consideration.
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