Pierce Today

TACOMA, WA – On April 21, 2023, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) announced over $10 million of new federal funding for three projects on the Olympic Peninsula through the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its Climate Ready Coasts Initiative. The new funding, which aims to help restore habitat, increase fish passage, and clean up Washington’s coasts, comes from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – two new laws which Rep. Kilmer voted to support.

“Folks in Washington’s coastal communities are already feeling the impacts of climate change,” said Rep. Kilmer. “The Climate Ready Coasts initiative, made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, will help deliver critical funds in our region for estuary restoration, marine debris removal and to keep our beaches clean. These funds reflect a powerful commitment to protecting marine ecosystems, enhancing our ability to respond to climate change, and keeping our commitments to tribal nations. These projects will create jobs, protect our environment, and provide more security for folks living along our coasts.”

“I am proud to recommend funding for 14 critical projects that will help make coastal Washington communities and their diverse habitats resilient to climate change and severe weather,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This historic investment would not be possible without Senator Cantwell, Senator Murray, and the entire Washington congressional delegation’s tireless advocacy for combating climate change in Washington and across the United States.”

“The historic investments powered by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act would not be possible without the leadership of champions in Congress,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D.  “NOAA is proud to recommend these projects to help coastal communities invest in their future and build resilience to the impacts of climate change.”

The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group will be awarded $9.6 million to restore habitat in the Big Quilcene River and estuary, benefiting threatened Puget Sound Chinook salmon and other key species. Channelization, dredging, and bank armoring have disconnected the river from its floodplain and confined it to an artificially straight and high-energy channel that frequently floods. Through this project, the river will be reconnected to its entire 140-acre floodplain, eliminating flood hazards within the community of Quilcene. The project will also create a highly productive spawning and rearing habitat in a high-priority location.

“HCSEG is excited to embark upon this major floodplain restoration project in the Big Quilcene River that will address degraded habitat that is critical to the survival of ESA listed Hood Canal summer chum and other aquatic species,” said Mendy Harlow, Executive Director of the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group. “We are truly grateful for Congressman Kilmer's leadership, dedication to our rural communities and concern for the natural world that makes the Olympic Peninsula such a wonderful place for the fish, wildlife and people who call it home.”

The Washington Sea Grant will be awarded $299,965 to partner with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s Washington CoastSavers  to support annual beach cleanups in Washington state, work with the Quinault Indian Nation to expand cleanup and outreach education efforts, and contribute large marine debris data to MyCoast, a Washington Department of Natural Resources database, to understand the scope of the marine debris issue, encourage stewardship, and provide an informed assessment to be used in future removal efforts.

“CoastSavers and partners have been working on beach clean-ups in coastal Washington for years, but some areas have been hard to tackle,” said Michelle Lepori-Bui, marine water quality specialist at Washington Sea Grant. “For example, some beaches in the Quinault Indian Nation and in Olympic National Park are really beautiful and culturally important areas — but when storms push trash onto those shores, their remote location makes it difficult for coordinated efforts to pick up that debris. This funding will help to accomplish those efforts and Washington Sea Grant is thrilled to be part of this project.”

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation will receive $14,999,292 to remove large marine debris from five national marine sanctuaries and two Tribal ancestral waters, including off the coast of Washington. This work will take place at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and in Neah Bay, in partnership with the Makah Tribe and Quileute Tribe.

Original source can be found here.