Department of Conservation

AUGUSTA, Maine - (February 22, 2002) The Maine Department of Conservation and the National Park Service signed a Memorandum of Agreement today on several issues related to the construction of Churchill Dam on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. The Agreement will result in the National Park Service signing off on an after-the-fact permit request to the Army Corps of Engineers for Churchill Dam in return for the Department agreeing to complete mitigation measures.

The Allagash Wilderness Waterway is a state administered wild river under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, as well as a wilderness waterway under Maine law. The Agreement also has the Department conducting a public review of its 1999 Allagash Wilderness Waterway Management Plan to determine how the federal law applies to the state administered Allagash and to incorporate the intent of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act into the 1999 Plan. The review will also consider the use of the Allagash by Maine citizens.

The Department and the National Park Service view the Agreement as a partnership and cooperative arrangement. The Agreement was negotiated over the past six months and with public input. The Department received over 1,400 comments on a draft agreement, the majority of which supported having an agreement with the National Park Service. The Department and the National Park Service did make several changes to the draft agreement as a result of the comments.

After signing the Agreement, Department of Conservation Commissioner Ron Lovaglio stated, “The Agreement is the right approach for resolving the Churchill Dam permit issue, and the time is appropriate to reflect on how the Allagash, a state administered wild river, fits into the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act scheme. I look forward to the cooperative partnership between the National Park Service, the Department of Conservation and the people of Maine.”

“The Agreement is an important reaffirmation of the will of the citizens of Maine and the Nation to protect the celebrated wild river,” stated Marie Rust, Northeast Regional Director for the National Park Service. “The Agreement would not have been possible without the full commitment of the Department of Conservation and the National Park Service to preserve both the wild river and the State of Maine’s legacy of strong river management.”

The Agreement will be sent to the Army Corps of Engineers who is expected to issue the final permit for Churchill Dam.

The Memorandum of Agreement, along with a report on the comments received by the public may be viewed by visiting the Department’s web site at: www.state.me.us/doc/parks.htm.