Senator Maria Cantwell announced the decision by the National Marine Fisheries Service at a downtown news conference.

The money would be part of a larger sum requested by Cantwell for conservation of the so-called southern resident orca population, now down to 83 animals, 84 including Luna.

Cantwell says the appropriation is in conference committee and approval is expected in the next few weeks.

NMFS regional director Bob Lohn says the U.S. hopes to work with Canada to bring Luna back home. He says the matter is now in the hands of Canada's top fisheries official, Robert Thibault.

Calls to the Vancouver, British Columbia, office of Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans were not immediately returned.

The money pledged Sunday would not cover all expenses of the move. Lohn says funds from Canada and private donors, including whale-advocacy groups, would still be needed, along with in-kind contributions.

Luna has been in Canada's Nootka Sound for over two years.

Canada has been trying to encourage a private effort, using private funds, to move Luna into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which divides the two countries where they meet on the west coast. The hope is that he would resume life as a wild whale and perhaps rejoin L-pod, his family, as they chase salmon near the San Juan Islands.

This week, DFO said two applicants had offered viable plans, but neither had the money to carry them out.

Lohn says there are two ways to approach the move. Experts can either act quickly to try to place Luna near his American relatives this winter, or wait until spring to try the move, and using the months between to try to train Luna to stay away from boats.

L-pod has been seen in area waters as late as February but has left as early as October. The orcas usually return by April. No one knows where they spend the winters, though they have been seen off the Canadian and California coast.

The problem is not so much that Luna is on his own. Lohn says there are previous incidents, dating back 100 years, of juvenile orcas living on their own for months at a time.

But Luna's attempts to cozy up to boats and seaplanes pose threats to both sides. Safety concerns prompted Canada's decision to try to move Luna.

Jeff Koenings, state director of Fish and Wildlife, says the state will contribute expertise and manpower to the effort. He also noted that Washington is considering listing the orcas as an endangered species.

NMFS last year rejected the local orcas for listing on the federal Endangered Species List, instead listing them as a "depleted species" under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The funds pledged for Luna's move were sought by Cantwell for research and conservation of the orcas as a result of that listing. The House version of the allocation would provide $750,000 - the same as last year. The Senate version would double the amount to $1.5 million.

Cantwell also announced that the Navy has agreed to take responsibility for electronic tagging of Luna and for tracking him after his release.