The grant could provide up to $20,000,000.
The primary goal of the Culvert AOP Program is to improve or restore anadromous fish passage through the replacement, removal, repair, or improvement of culverts or weirs. The grant program prioritizes projects that would improve fish passage for: (A) anadromous fish stocks listed as an endangered species or a threatened species under section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. § 1533); (B) anadromous fish stocks identified by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that could reasonably become listed as an endangered species or a threatened species under that section; (C) anadromous fish stocks identified by the NMFS or the USFWS as prey for endangered species, threatened species, or protected species, including Southern resident orcas (Orcinus orca); or (D) anadromous fish stocks identified by the NMFS or the USFWS as climate resilient stocks (49 U.S.C. § 6703(e)(1)). The program also prioritizes projects that would open up more than 200 meters of upstream (anadromous) habitat before the end of the natural habitat (49 U.S.C. § 6703(e)(2)).
