Coastal Communities and Habitats – Passage

Passage of the bill, as amended, that would authorize or reauthorize a number of Commerce and Interior department programs and activities related to coastal community development and climate change adaptation. Specifically, it would authorize, in new Commerce Department grant funding, such sums as may be necessary for grants to states to implement coastal climate change preparedness and response plans; $50 million annually through fiscal 2025 for climate-resilient "living shoreline" projects using natural materials and systems to protect coastal communities and habitats; $12 million annually through fiscal 2024 for "working waterfronts" projects to improve public access to coastal waters for business and recreation; and $5 million annually for preservation and restoration of Native American tribal coastal lands. It would reauthorize a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant program for colleges and other institutions to conduct research related to coastal and Great Lake science, conservation, and management; it would authorize $87.5 million for the program in fiscal 2020 and amounts increasing annually through fiscal 2025, and authorize an additional $6 million annually through fiscal 2025 for university research on certain issues related to coastal habitats, including control of aquatic nonnative species and harmful algal bloom prevention. It would reauthorize $47.5 million annually through fiscal 2024 for operations of the Integrated Ocean Observing System, through which NOAA disseminates data on marine areas. It would reauthorize the NOAA digital coast partnership program, a collection of web-based visualization and predictive tools and resources to assist with management of coastal communities. Finally, it would authorize $17.5 million annually through fiscal 2029 for the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct research related to fish habitats to support binational fisheries within the Great Lakes Basin. It would establish a National Fish Habitat Board and authorize $7.2 million annually through fiscal 2023 to fund fish habitat conservation projects recommended by the board.