Skip First Level Navigation | Skip All Navigation
|
| Home | Contact DMR | Forms | Maps | Online Services | Webcams | Other links | DMR Intranet |
DEPT. OF MARINE RESOURCES
|
Penobscot River Restoration Trust - Fish Restoration, Energy Balance Closer to Becoming Reality on the Penobscot RiverAugust 21, 2008 1 PENOBSCOT RIVER RESTORATION TRUST PRESS RELEASE Fisheries Restoration, Energy Balance Closer to Becoming Reality on Penobscot River Penobscot River Restoration Trust to Buy Three Dams from PPL Corporation RELEASED: August 21, 2008 Contacts: Laura Rose Day, Executive Director – 207-232-5976 Cheryl Daigle, Outreach Coordinator/Community Liaison – 207-232-9969 Old Town, ME: Today, on the banks of the Penobscot River in Old Town, Maine, at 11 a.m., partners in the Penobscot River Restoration Project will announce they are taking a major step forward in this historic effort to restore Atlantic salmon, American shad, river herring, and seven other species of searun fish to nearly 1,000 miles of river habitat while ensuring energy generation is maintained on one of the country’s most significant river systems. With $25 million in private and public funds raised to purchase the Veazie, Great Works and Howland dams, the Penobscot River Restoration Trust (Penobscot Trust) has announced it is moving ahead to purchase three dams from PPL Corporation (PPL), completing the initial phase and now shifting fully into the implementation phase of the Project. “The Penobscot Trust has notified PPL that it intends to purchase the Veazie, Great Works and Howland dams, allowing project partners to move forward with this unprecedented Project to rebalance hydropower energy and create sustainable native sea-run fisheries well into the future,” stated Laura Rose Day, Executive Director of the Penobscot Trust. By exercising the option a full year before it expires, the Penobscot Trust secures a $25 million purchase price and avoids an increase of $1 million. “The Penobscot Trust and its partners deeply appreciate the constructive dialogue and commitment that has come from every corner to make this extraordinary milestone possible,” remarked Rose Day. “The leadership, the generosity and the local support all inspire confidence in the future health and prosperity of the Penobscot region.” The Penobscot Trust has initiated the permitting process, held pre-permitting meetings, and completed preliminary designs for dam removal and bypass construction. Once the permits have been approved, the two lowermost dams (Great Works and Veazie) will be removed and a fish bypass will be constructed around the third dam in Howland. The Project offers an unprecedented opportunity to restore sea-run fish to a major river system. The Project allows hydropower company PPL to maintain virtually all of the energy it produces on the river. As part of the innovative agreement, PPL has already increased power generation at three dams, and is in the process of re-powering the Orono Dam. PPL will have the opportunity to recycle turbines from the three dams that will be decommissioned to increase generation at remaining dams. PPL will also enhance fish passage at four dams, including the construction of a fish elevator at the Milford Dam, which will become the first dam on the river. 2 “PPL is proud to partner with Penobscot River Restoration Trust in this landmark agreement that helps restore native fish to the river and increases the amount of clean, renewable energy in New England,” says Dennis Murphy, vice president and chief operating officer of Eastern Fossil and Hydro Generation for PPL. “Through the extraordinary efforts of the Trust, this restoration project will benefit the region’s environment, economy and social heritage.” The Project will allow the return of river herring, Atlantic salmon, American shad and seven additional species of migratory fish to the largest river in Maine. Return of healthy fish stocks will have multiple benefits, including food for fish eating birds such as eagles, ospreys, and herons and for predatory fish in the Gulf of Maine such as cod and other commercially important species. Removing the dams will convert impoundments to free-flowing river, improving water quality and increasing the diversity and abundance of aquatic insects, which are ecologically important to fish and migratory songbirds. Riverfront communities will benefit from a restored river with healthy fisheries, improved community and economic opportunities, enhanced angling and paddling, revival of culture and tradition, and a renewed connection to the river. "The Penobscot people and the river have shared this place for thousands of years, and the health of our people is directly tied to the health of this river. Opening up this waterway will revitalize a significant part of our culture and bring back health to our sacred river,” said Chief Kirk Francis of the Penobscot Indian Nation. “We are so grateful to all the people who are helping to make this project a reality.” Project partners completed a successful $10 million private capital campaign and with strong leadership from Maine’s Congressional Delegation along with NOAA Fisheries and the USFWS were successful in securing $15 million in federal funds for the project. With the $25 million committed to buy the dams, the Trust has been working diligently to complete the environmental and engineering studies and public forums necessary to secure the permits needed to take final ownership of and to remove the dams. In this second phase of the project, the Trust will need to raise approximately $25-30 million more, which is expected to come again from a mix of public and private sources. American Rivers, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Audubon, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Penobscot Indian Nation, The Nature Conservancy, and Trout Unlimited are members of the Penobscot Trust. In addition to PPL Corporation, other project collaborators include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Park Service, and the state of Maine (Department of Marine Resources, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and State Planning Office). #Address: P.O. Box 5695, Augusta, ME 04332 Ph: 207-232-9969 Fax:207-622-4343 Web: www.penobscotriver.org PENOBSCOT RIVER RESTORATION TRUST ADDITIONAL QUOTES SHEET Fisheries Restoration, Energy Balance Closer to Reality on Penobscot River August 21, 2008 "This project is nothing less than a remarkable model for how Maine can maintain important hydropower generation on our rivers while taking the steps needed to restore our native sea-run fisheries. A diverse mix of energy sources along with healthy fisheries in rivers such as the Penobscot are both high priorities for my administration." - Governor John Baldacci, State of Maine "The Penobscot River Restoration Project really represents a great example of where a diverse array of interests are working unselfishly for a worthy cause. This river and its tributaries have more potential habitat for migratory fish populations than any river in the north Atlantic and provides us with our best opportunity to recover the overall population of Atlantic salmon in the continental United States." - Dr. William Brennan, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a long history of working to restore Atlantic salmon to Maine’s rivers and streams in partnership with the Penobscot Indian Nation, State of Maine, NOAA and many others. We look forward to the day when the Penobscot River Restoration Trust calls us together again to celebrate the restoration of historic river habitat for sea-run fish, including sturgeon and striped bass, as well as for other fish, birds and wildlife." - Marvin E. Moriarty, Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Northeast Region, Department of Interior “Today we are celebrating a big step forward for one of the most significant watershed restoration projects in U.S. history. As we stand on the banks of the Penobscot River, we can feel the power of history in the making. Our decision to purchase these dams means that the Penobscot will be a healthier river in the future. By rebalancing ecological function and power generation in Maine’s largest watershed, we will create benefits for nature and communities along this river for generations to come.” - Brownie Carson, Natural Resources Council of Maine “The Penobscot Project is our best, and perhaps only, chance of restoring a major run of wild Atlantic salmon in the United States. Without this project, salmon could become extinct on our watch and we can not allow this to happen.” - Bill Taylor, President, Atlantic Salmon Federation "Raising the $25 million needed to purchase the three dams was no small feat. The next phase will require a similarly focused and collaborative effort among federal, state, and private donors, but the pay-off both for Atlantic salmon and Penobscot River communities will be worth every last penny." - Charles Gauvin, President and Chief Executive Officer for Trout Unlimited “This is one of the most important river restoration projects our country has ever seen. Of the more than 700 dams that have been removed from our rivers, this effort on the Penobscot stands out because of the ground-breaking collaboration, and the balance we will strike for the river’s health, energy production, and new economic opportunities. Communities in Maine and across the country will look to the Penobscot as a model for what they can achieve on their own rivers.” - Rebecca Wodder, President, American Rivers "The Nature Conservancy is proud to be part of this innovative and unprecedented project. The benefits of this work will be felt -- in countless ways and for hundreds of miles -- by people and wildlife alike." - Mike Tetreault, State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Maine. “Maine Audubon celebrates this milestone day, because it heralds so many days of wide-ranging ecological benefits for the Penobscot River’s wildlife and people. The Penobscot River of the future will nourish abundant species and put on a great show for everyone who loves to watch wildlife.” - Dr. Sally C. Stockwell, Director of Conservation, Maine Audubon "This project is leading to the most comprehensive restoration of diadromous species on the east coast. The benefits of this effort will range from the watershed to the Gulf of Maine." - Commissioner George Lapointe, Department of Marine Resources PENOBSCOT RIVER RESTORATION TRUST MEDIA CONTACTS August 21, 2008 Fisheries Restoration, Energy Balance Closer to Reality on Penobscot River Penobscot River Restoration Trust Laura Rose Day, Executive Director 207-232-5976 laura@penobscotriver.org Cheryl Daigle, Community Liaison/Outreach Coordinator 207-232-9969 cheryl@penobscotriver.org PPL Corporation Scott Hall, Manager of Environmental Service PPL Maine (Milford, ME) 207- 827-5364 (office) 207-461-3617 (cell) shall@pplweb.com George Lewis, Supervisor-Media Relations PPL Corporation 610-774-4687 (office) gclewis@pplweb.com Penobscot Indian Nation Kirk Francis, Chief 207-817-7350 John Banks, Director, Department of Natural Resources 207-356-5022 jbanks@penobscotnation.org National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marjorie Mooney-Seus, Communications Specialist 978-281-9175 Marjorie.Mooney-Seus@noaa.gov US Fish and Wildlife Service Alex Hoar 413-478-9406 (cell) Alex_Hoar@fws.gov State of Maine Patrick Keliher, Director Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat Maine Department of Marine Resources 207-287-9972 207-287-9975 Patrick.Keliher@maine.gov PENOBSCOT RIVER RESTORATION TRUST Penobscot Trust Members American Rivers Amy Kober, National Communications Director 206-213-0330 x23 206-898-3864 (cell) akober@americanrivers.org Atlantic Salmon Federation Andy Goode, Vice President of U.S. Programs 207-725-2833 207-751-5124 (cell) goodeasf@blazenetme.net Maine Audubon Elyse Tipton, Communications Director 207-632-8983 etipton@maineaudubon.org Natural Resources Council of Maine Brownie Carson, Executive Director 207-622-3101 bcarson@nrcm.org Judy Berk, Director of Communications 207-622-3101 jberk@nrcm.org The Nature Conservancy Michael Tetreault, Executive Director c/o Joanne Hollenbeck, Executive Assistant 207-729-5182 Ext. 239 jhollenbeck@tnc.org Trout Unlimited Erin Mooney, National Press Secretary 703-284-9408 (office) 571-331-7970 (cell) emooney@tu.org
|
| Copyright © 2006 All rights reserved. |