Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton stood on the banks of the Penobscot River in 2004 and called an ambitious plan to remake the river “perhaps the most significant step to restore the Atlantic salmon in the past century.”

While the encouragement was welcome, removing dams will take a significant sum of money, as will restoring habitat along the state’s largest watershed. So far, too few federal dollars have been devoted to this landmark project.

The goal of the Penobscot River Restoration is to reopen 500 miles of habitat along the river and its tributaries for native fish such as Atlantic salmon, striped bass and shortnosed sturgeon. To do this, two dams will be removed and a third fitted with a fish bypass. Fish passage improvements

will also be made at four other dams. The project will cost about $50 million.

The dams’ fairly new owner, PPL Corp., wanted to avoid battles with conservation groups and the Penobscot Nation over relicensing and fish passage, contentious issues between these groups and the previous owner. The result was the major restoration plan unveiled two years ago. Groups involved include PPL, Penobscot Nation, Atlantic Salmon Federation, American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, Natural Resources Council of Maine and Maine Audubon. State and federal agencies are also involved.

During her 2004 visit to the Veazie Salmon Club, Secretary Norton called the project a shining example of the “cooperative conservation” that the Bush administration favored. She declined to say whether federal funding would be forthcoming as part of the federal cooperation in the project. Now we know why.

The president has never included money for this project in his budget. With support from Maine’s congressional delegation, the partners have cobbled together $3.5 million from federal agencies, but the plan calls for $14.5 million in federal funds for dam purchases. Another $5.6 million is to come from private donations, which are already being solicited. If this project really is a national model, money must be dedicated to it now since the options to buy the dams expire in 2009.

Federal partner agencies – the departments of commerce and interior – have similarly not included money for the Penobscot in their budget. That leaves it to Maine’s congressional delegation to secure money for the project. Both Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins have identified the project as a priority for environmental funding, especially through the Department of the Interior. The senators are seeking $8 million in the 2007 interior appropriations bill for the project. They are asking for a little less for the Department of Conservation, which overseas marine fisheries.

Sen. Collins has also requested a meeting with Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne who has been nominated to replace Ms. Norton at Interior. Funding for the Penobscot project is high on the senator’s agenda for the meeting.

If the administration is serious about cooperative conservation, it will back these funding requests and ask congressional leadership to do the same.