NEW YORK, NY January 24, 2009 —Restoring Ellis Island could be exactly what the economy needs, in the view of the new US Interior Secretary. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

REPORTER: Secretary Ken Salazar toured both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island yesterday at the invitation of New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez. On Ellis Island, just a fraction of the 33 structures that processed several generations of immigrants have been restored. Salazar says refurbishing the entire complex for visitors makes both historic and economic development sense.

SALAZAR: As we look at the economic recovery effort for the nation President Obama and the members of Congress are looking at certainly places like this ought to be primary candidates to be able to fund to get those jobs going.

REPORTER: Park officials say rehabilitating Ellis Island could cost up to $300 million. Nationwide, The Interior Department has some 60,000 assets ranging from iconic monuments to historic sites. And there's a $9 billion backlog in deferred maintenance.

For WNYC I'm Bob Hennelly.