Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced $2.96 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help the department address the climate crisis and improve coastal infrastructure.
High-impact projects will be picked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to incentivize investments in communities, states and regions that can drive additional funding to complementary projects, according to a June 29 news release.
“The climate crisis is affecting every community in the U.S. and impacting our nation’s economy,” Raimondo said in the 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.”
Funded projects will support three major initiatives, the release reported. These include Climate Ready Coasts to invest in natural infrastructure projects; Climate Data and Services to get critical information and tools in the hands of decision-makers to address floods, wildfire, drought and ocean health; and Fisheries and Protected Resources for the restoration of important fisheries habitat and promote community economic development.
“This funding provides NOAA and its partners with a historic opportunity to invest in the climate-smart infrastructure of the future,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in the 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.”
