Biden-Harris Administration recommends funding of $43 million for projects in Alabama to strengthen Climate-Ready Coasts as part of Investing in America agenda

Today, Vice President Harris announced that the Department of Commerce has recommended $43 million for projects across Alabama to make communities and the economy more resilient to climate change, as part of the Investing in America agenda. Across Alabama, seven projects will create jobs and boost economic and environmental outcomes for coastal communities. The awards are made under the Biden Administration's Climate-Ready Coasts initiative funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) with additional funds leveraged from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

"The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to preserving and protecting our nation's most sensitive coastal habitats, in Alabama and across the country," said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. "Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, we're making investments that will ensure that the Gulf of Mexico remains a vibrant basin for diverse wildlife and an economic engine for southern Alabama for generations to come."

Administered by the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Climate-Ready Coasts initiative is focused on investing in high-impact projects that create climate solutions by storing carbon; build resilience to coastal hazards such as extreme weather events, pollution and marine debris; restore coastal habitats that help wildlife and humans thrive; and provide employment opportunities.

"Partnerships are critical in the important work of making our coastal communities resilient in the face of climate change," said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. "These investments will help ensure species, their habitats, and our coastal communities all thrive."

These projects are part of NOAA's nearly $6 billion total investment under BIL and IRA. Recommended projects and funding amounts in Alabama include:

• Implementing Nature-based Solutions for Habitat, Community, and Coastal Resilience in Mississippi Sound, Alabama
  The Nature Conservancy: $14.6 million
  Funding Source: Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants
  Construction of living shoreline breakwaters will protect a critical part of the shoreline of Coffee Island, and help address high erosion rates that also affect the mainland communities of Mobile County, including important aquaculture installations in Portersville Bay. 5,000 feet of large, overlapping breakwaters, will be built to help protect marshes, seagrasses, and shorelines that serve as important habitat for recreational and commercial fish species.
• Perdido Watershed Habitat and Community Resilience Initiative: Incorporating Nature-based and Hybrid Solutions Across Alabama and Florida
  The Nature Conservancy: $12.8 million
  Funding Source: Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants
  This large-scale, multi-site effort will build climate resilience by restoring habitat that benefits recreational and commercial fisheries, thereby enhancing recreational opportunities; buffering communities from flooding and storm impacts; and improving water quality. Work will be done at sites in Alabama and Florida which are part of the Perdido Watershed Habitat and Community Resilience Initiative.
• Coordinated Large Marine Debris Removal in the Gulf of Mexico
  Gulf of Mexico Alliance: $7.7 million
  Funding Source: Marine Debris Removal Competition
  The Gulf of Mexico Alliance will administer a regional competitive grant program for large marine debris removal in the Gulf of Mexico. The project will also remove previously identified abandoned and derelict vessels across Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama. Projects in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas are potentially eligible for future funding under this grant program.
• Gulf of Mexico Community-based Oyster Recycling and Reef Restoration Network
  Restore America's Estuaries: $4.9 million
  Funding Source: Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants
  This project will restore oyster reef habitat at sites across the Gulf of Mexico region. Restaurants from around the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas will participate in a comprehensive oyster shell recycling program to help build oyster reefs that provide habitat for a diverse group of species, including recreationally and commercially important fish and their prey. Shell recycling programs and oyster reef restoration sites will be designed to serve local ecosystem and community resilience needs, with an emphasis on tribes and underserved communities.
• Understanding, Mitigation and Prevention of Waste Plastic Marine Debris in the Gulf Coast
  Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium: $1.9 million
  Funding Source: Marine Debris Challenge Competition
  The burgeoning problem of microplastics will be addressed through a multi-state partnership including 10 wastewater treatment facilities in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The project aims to improve microplastic understanding, develop microplastic reduction techniques, measure microplastic concentration, and enhance collaboration around addressing microplastics in Gulf Coast communities, specifically urban communities, communities that are predominantly Black, and rural, isolated communities.
• Conservation of Coastal Pine Savanna and Emergent Marsh Habitat on West Fowl River/Mississippi Sound in Mobile County, Alabama
  Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: $1.1 million
  Funding Source: Coastal Zone Management Habitat Protection and Restoration Grants
  This investment will conserve and protect sensitive tidal marsh, pine flatwood, and savanna habitats, which act as a habitat and nursery ground for commercially and recreationally important fishery species, protect uplands from storm surge and coastal flooding, and allow carbon to be sequestered.
• Conservation in the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Baldwin County Alabama
  Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: $147,000
  Funding Source: National Estuarine Research Reserve System Habitat Protection and Restoration Grants
  This investment will help protect the ecological integrity of the area and the important ecosystem services it provides, such as acting as a buffer for storm surge and coastal flooding, providing space for marsh migration, providing carbon sequestration services, and maintaining water quality.