NH Delegation Welcomes $5.6 Million to New England to Support Coastal Resiliency Projects

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) – Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – today led an announcement with Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) welcoming $5.6 million in NOAA grant funding to repair three tidal crossings in New Hampshire and support a multi-state marine debris clean-up project. Federal funding for these projects come from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Both Shaheen and Hassan were lead negotiators of the IIJA, also known as the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

“As a lead negotiator of the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a proud supporter of the historic climate legislation, I’m proud to have championed action in Congress that invests in the sustainability of our environment and in communities most impacted by the severe changes in our weather. That’s why I’m so thrilled to see $5.6 million in federal funds I helped secure through both of these landmark pieces of legislation in action to support the New Hampshire Resilient Tidal Crossings Project and to remove marine debris in the Gulf of Maine,” said Senator Shaheen. “The support to upgrade tidal culverts in Stratham and Rye is instrumental to bolstering ecosystem and flood resiliency as well as growing our coastal economy. I’ll continue advocating on behalf of projects that strengthen New Hampshire’s Seacoast communities.”

“Granite Staters are seeing the everyday effects of climate change in their communities, from increased flooding to more severe storms and extreme temperatures,” said Senator Hassan. “Investing in coastal resilience helps lessen the impact of climate change on communities and the environment, which is why I secured federal funding for coastal resilience in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I am pleased that New Hampshire coastal communities will receive critical support as a result of this law and will continue to work to ensure that our communities receive funds made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help them address climate change and other infrastructure needs.”

“From improving flood resiliency to cleaning up dangerous debris and abandoned fishing gear, this funding will make a real difference for our state and our environment,” said Congresswoman Annie Kuster. “I was proud to help secure these resources in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Package and the Inflation Reduction Act to strengthen our ecosystems and clean up our waterways. I look forward to the positive impact these projects will have on New Hampshire.”

“We must continue to increase climate resiliency within our communities, especially in the Seacoast region,” said Congressman Chris Pappas. “I’m pleased to see this funding coming to New Hampshire to help replace old tidal culverts to improve flood and ecosystem resiliency in our coastal communities. The bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act continue to provide critical investments into our infrastructure, and I will keep working to secure resources to update old infrastructure and support our coastal communities.”

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services will receive $2,988,122 to replace three undersized tidal culverts on state roads in the towns of Stratham and Rye. Repairing these tidal crossings was identified as a high priority via the New Hampshire Resilient Tidal Crossings Project. The project will replace the existing culverts at these sites with upgraded alternatives, which in turn will increase ecosystem and flood resiliency.

The Center for Coastal Studies will receive $2,718,531 to lead a new coalition of New England nongovernmental organizations to remove, document and recycle, repurpose or properly dispose of abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear and end-of-life fishing gear from the Gulf of Maine’s water and shorelines. The project spans the coastlines of New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.

As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds NOAA, Shaheen routinely secures robust funding for programs that address numerous issues impacting New Hampshire, from offsetting at-sea monitoring fees to combating the climate crisis. In the fiscal year 2023 government funding law, she secured $6.35 billion for NOAA, which is an increase of $475 million or 8 percent over last year’s funding level. This includes $761 million for NOAA research, much of which pertains to combating the climate crisis. This funding will help coastal communities in New Hampshire and across the nation bolster their resilience to changing climate, as well as support ocean health and research. In addition, the law invests in successful job-creating programs, sustainable economic development and environmental restoration.

Senator Hassan directly negotiated nearly $1 billion in critical funding for coastal resiliency in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: $492 million for the NOAA National Coastal Resiliency Fund and $491 million for the NOAA Community-Based Restoration Last week, Senator Hassan visited Wagon Hill Farm in Durham, which is currently applying for funding through the National Coastal Resilience Fund, to speak about the importance of coastal resiliency.

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