Harris announces over $550 million in recommended funding to ‘make communities resilient to climate impacts’

Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday the Department of Commerce has recommended $562 million in funding for projects that help make communities “resilient” to climate change impacts.

Harris was scheduled to make a formal announcement about the investment at an event Friday evening in Miami.

The awards were formed under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate-Ready Coasts Initiative, which is funded by both the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a Department of Commerce release said. 

Included in the $562 million funding is $477 million for “projects strengthening coastal communities ability to respond to extreme weather events, pollution, and marine debris; restoring coastal habitats to help wildlife and humans thrive; building the capacity of underserved communities to address climate hazards and supporting community-driven restoration; and creating jobs in local communities,” according to the release.

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Another $46 million will go to the NOAA National Fish and Wildlife Foundation National Coastal Resilience Fund partnership, which helps communities prepare for an increase in coastal flooding, sea-level rises, and intense storms.

In addition, $39.1 million will go towards “34 state and territorial coastal zone management programs and 30 national estuarine research reserves that work in partnership with NOAA under the Coastal Zone Management Act,” the DOC release said.

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Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said that the Biden-Harris administration is “moving aggressively” to “tackle the climate crisis.”

“These investments will create jobs while protecting people, communities and ecosystems from the threats of climate change, and help our nation take the steps it needs to become more resilient and build a clean energy economy,” Raimondo said.