Steny H. Hoyer
04/23/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/23/2024 14:18
Hoyer Announces $120,865 to Enhance Coastal Resilience in MD-05
CHARLES COUNTY, MD - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Chair of the Regional Leadership Council, joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in announcing $120,865 for the Popes Creek Waterfront Park Living Shoreline Design. This project funding, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda - will support the design of a living shoreline along the Potomac River where it meets Popes Creek in Charles County, Maryland. The site, a former commercial restaurant, is currently being transformed into a nature-based public park, but is subject to sea level rise, erosion, and storm impacts resulting from climate change. The Regional Leadership Council oversees the implementation of the transformative Investing in America agenda and its promise to achieving environmental justice. This newly announced Investing in America funding will help to stabilize the shoreline with nature-based features, demonstrating equitable climate resilience in the connection between adaptable biodiverse ecosystems and healthy human communities.
"As Chair of the Regional Leadership Council, I am proud to see the Investing in America agenda continuing to tackle our climate crisis - including right here in Maryland's Fifth District," said Congressman Hoyer. "Climate change weighs heavily on all of us but is especially hard on our coastal communities. The Popes Creek Waterfront Park faces heightened vulnerability to sea level rise and storm surges. This living shoreline project will restore and protect sensitive habitats which will then improve our water quality, reduce flooding and erosion, bolster the capacity of the surrounding communities to respond to climate change, and even support the creation of a future beach in Charles County. Beyond protecting our habitat and climate, this funding will also strengthen our community by offering opportunities for nature-based recreation such as fishing and kayaking."
"These transformational projects will not only bolster community resilience, but also ensure that innovations are fairly and broadly accessible," said Jainey K. Bavishi, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy NOAA Administrator. "This significant increase in resources from NOAA will be essential in helping to build local infrastructure that is climate resilient, while providing essential benefits to businesses."
This funding is one of 30 awards from the Coastal Zone Management program and National Estuarine Research Reserve, made possible under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Each award will increase resilience through landscape-scale habitat restoration, restoration planning, and ecosystem conservation in coastal ecosystems nationwide, and will promote coastal resilience in underserved coastal communities, as well as those most vulnerable to climate impacts.
The Regional Leadership Council was created in January 2023 by Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. In addition to Chair Hoyer, the council consists of twelve Members who each represent one of the United States' twelve regions. The council is working to ensure that Americans in every corner of the country and in every zip code can access the opportunities created by the historic policies that Democrats secured in the 117th Congress, including the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the Honoring Our PACT Act, and many others.
"As Chair of the Regional Leadership Council, I am proud to see the Investing in America agenda continuing to tackle our climate crisis - including right here in Maryland's Fifth District," said Congressman Hoyer. "Climate change weighs heavily on all of us but is especially hard on our coastal communities. The Popes Creek Waterfront Park faces heightened vulnerability to sea level rise and storm surges. This living shoreline project will restore and protect sensitive habitats which will then improve our water quality, reduce flooding and erosion, bolster the capacity of the surrounding communities to respond to climate change, and even support the creation of a future beach in Charles County. Beyond protecting our habitat and climate, this funding will also strengthen our community by offering opportunities for nature-based recreation such as fishing and kayaking."
"These transformational projects will not only bolster community resilience, but also ensure that innovations are fairly and broadly accessible," said Jainey K. Bavishi, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy NOAA Administrator. "This significant increase in resources from NOAA will be essential in helping to build local infrastructure that is climate resilient, while providing essential benefits to businesses."
This funding is one of 30 awards from the Coastal Zone Management program and National Estuarine Research Reserve, made possible under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Each award will increase resilience through landscape-scale habitat restoration, restoration planning, and ecosystem conservation in coastal ecosystems nationwide, and will promote coastal resilience in underserved coastal communities, as well as those most vulnerable to climate impacts.
The Regional Leadership Council was created in January 2023 by Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. In addition to Chair Hoyer, the council consists of twelve Members who each represent one of the United States' twelve regions. The council is working to ensure that Americans in every corner of the country and in every zip code can access the opportunities created by the historic policies that Democrats secured in the 117th Congress, including the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the Honoring Our PACT Act, and many others.