US could require steps for dams to save last Atlantic salmon

By PATRICK WHITTLE
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government is conducting a review of four dams on a Maine river that could result in a lifeline for the last wild Atlantic salmon in the U.S. The last of the wild salmon live in a group of rivers in Maine and have been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 2000. One of the rivers is the Kennebec River, where Brookfield Renewable U.S. owns dams. Brookfield wants to amend federal licenses for four dams and receive a new operating license for one of them. Representatives for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say that requires a review of the dams’ impacts on salmon and possible mitigation measures.