EPA Awards $3.5 Million to Protect Coastal Habitats through a National Estuary Grant Program
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the award of $3.5 million to an ongoing program that will support projects to protect and restore the nation’s estuaries—those rich, productive coastal habitats where freshwater rivers and streams meet tidal areas. The funds were the second such award from EPA to Restore America's Estuaries (RAE), which manages the competitive National Estuary Program (NEP) Watersheds Grant Program.
“Estuaries provide unique recreational and economic opportunity to nearby communities while also cultivating wildlife and protecting our coastlines from flooding,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “EPA is committed to helping protect these important coastal waters through the National Estuary Program, which includes 28 estuaries of significance around the country. EPA’s $3.5 million will support future projects for these important coastal ecosystems.”
EPA anticipates that projects funded through the competitive grant program will apply new or innovative approaches and technologies to treat, remove, or prevent pollution before it enters estuaries; build sustained local capacity to protect and restore coastal watersheds; and bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change. Awarded project funding may range from $200,000 to $500,000.
A total of $18 million may be provided through this partnership over six years, subject to availability of appropriations, EPA funding priorities, and satisfactory progress in carrying out the program.
The NEP is an EPA program committed to protecting and restoring the water quality and ecological integrity of 28 estuaries across the country from threats such as climate change, habitat loss, and nutrient pollution.