WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced a $249,352 grant was awarded to the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) for a project that aims to develop nature-based climate resilience solutions for vulnerable coastal Casco Bay municipalities. The National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) grant, awarded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), is among 49 grants announced today, totaling $39.5 million and supporting coastal resilience projects in 28 states and U.S. territories. These grants will generate more than $58.3 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of nearly $97.8 million.
“Climate change is already impacting Maine communities across the board, but our coastal cities and towns are particularly hard it. That is why as a member of the House Appropriations Committee I fought to secure funding for climate resilience grants like the one awarded to GPCOG. I applaud GPCOG’s proactive efforts to combat the climate crisis. We must work together and act swiftly to gird against catastrophic environmental, social, and economic damage,” said Congresswoman Pingree.
The funds will help Greater Portland Council of Governments, a regional organization that works in collaboration with municipal leaders to help communities be more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable, engage up to ten vulnerable Casco Bay coastal municipalities in a collaborative planning initiative that will produce resilience strategies and solutions by addressing environmental, social, and economic issues from a regional perspective. The long-term planning project will begin plans for one regional coastal resilience plan, plus 10 individual coastal Maine towns’ comprehensive plans, to provide nature-based resilience solutions.
The NCRF increases and strengthens natural infrastructure to protect coastal communities while also enhancing habitats for fish and wildlife. Established in 2018, the NCRF invests in conservation projects that restore or expand natural features such as coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, forests, coastal rivers and floodplains, and barrier islands that minimize the impacts of storms and other naturally occurring events on nearby communities. A complete list of the 2021 grants is available here.
Pingree is Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. She has championed a bold agenda to combat the climate crisis, including introducing legislation to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in U.S. agriculture by 2040 and is a cosponsor of over 40 bills in the 117th Congress to combat the climate crisis, including the visionary Green New Deal. Pingree recently attended the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, to help reassert American leadership on addressing the climate crisis.
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