Hawai‘i To Receive More Than $3 Million In Coastal Management Funding

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will award $3,247,000 to coastal management programs in Hawai‘i.

“This funding reflects NOAA’s commitment to local management of our coastal lands,” said Senator Schatz.  “From the Paepae o He‘eia fishpond and Kako‘o ‘Oiwi taro lo‘i, to forecasting destructive king tides and coastal flooding, the funding from NOAA will keep our homes safe, our businesses profitable, and our beaches beautiful.”

$2,247,000 of the funding announced today is being awarded under NOAA’s National Coastal Zone Management Program to Hawai‘i’s federally approved coastal management program. This grant will support jobs and provide ongoing assistance to the Hawai‘i coastal management program to address many important coastal issues in the state, including coastal hazards, climate change, and natural resource management. It will also help new initiatives, such as the designation of the He‘eia National Estuarine Research Reserve System.

The University of Hawai‘i will be receiving $500,000 through NOAA’s Coastal Resilience Grants Program for its Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System to develop new information and real-time tools for forecasting tidal and high-surf flooding, such as king tides and storm surge. The Nature Conservancy will be receiving $500,000 from NOAA’s Coastal Resilience Grants Program to restore seven acres of estuarine fishpond habitat  and promote community resilience on Hawai‘i Island.