U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo announced funding opportunities from NOAA's $2.96 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds.
The funding aims to address climate change and strengthen coastal resilience and infrastructure, reported NOAA. Resultingly, over the next five years, NOAA will invest in: areas of habitat restoration; coastal resilience; and climate data and services to advance climate resilience.
“The climate crisis is affecting every community in the U.S. and impacting our nation’s economy,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in the NOAA news release. “The funding from NOAA will be used to support transformational projects that will help communities, especially underserved communities, build up local climate resilience and climate-ready infrastructure.”
“This funding provides NOAA and its partners with a historic opportunity to invest in the climate smart infrastructure of the future,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., said NOAA in the news release. “Together, we’ll help ensure our coasts are climate-ready, our fisheries and protected resources are resilient, and our climate and data products reflect the needs of decision makers.”
According to NOAA, the projects will support three major initiatives, which are:
- Climate Ready Coasts for assisting coastal communities, investing in natural infrastructure projects to build coastal resilience, creating jobs, storing carbon, removing marine debris, and restoring habitat. ($1.467 billion over five years)
- Climate Data and Services to address the climate crisis by providing critical information and tools to decision-makers, addressing floods, wildfire, drought, and ocean health. ($904 million over five years)
- Fisheries and Protected Resources to restore important fisheries habitat and promote community economic development. ($592 million over five years)
According to NOAA, it will ensure the funding is equitable, coordinated, and results in projects that benefit Tribal Nations and underserved and underrepresented communities.
These efforts are part of the Climate Ready Coasts initiative, which includes:
- Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants ($85 million);
- Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Underserved Communities ($10 million);
- Coastal Zone Management Habitat Protection and Restoration Grants ($35 million);
- National Estuarine Research Reserve System Habitat Protection and Restoration Grants ($12 million);
- Marine Debris Removal ($56 million);
- Marine Debris Challenge Competition ($16 million); And
- Marine Debris Community Action Coalitions ($3 million).
