(24/P030) TRENTON – Lt. Governor Tahesha Way and Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette joined U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA officials, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, and other dignitaries in Perth Amboy today to announce a $72 million federal grant for projects that will fund critical climate resilience projects through the Department of Environmental Protection’s bold and comprehensive Building a Climate Ready NJ initiative.
The grant for the Building a Climate Ready NJ initiative comes from $575 million made available through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Resilience Regional Challenge competition for projects that increase the resilience of coastal communities to extreme weather, and other climate change impacts including sea-level rise. The DEP’s Office of Climate Resilience will implement the initiative.
The grant’s funds will enhance resilience in many of New Jersey’s most densely developed municipalities, commit resources to help overburdened communities implement projects that protect against the worsening impacts of climate change, and partner with multiple organizations to empower communities through education and workforce training on climate change concerns. This comprehensive five-year initiative supports the Murphy Administration’s commitment to a more climate resilient New Jersey.
“Over the last few years, we have seen the detrimental effects of increasing and extreme weather events across the state – especially in some of New Jersey’s frontline coastal and riverine communities,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “It is critical that we ensure their resilience in the face of climate change and thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration, New Jersey will receive much needed support to prepare these regions for flooding, storm surge, and other extreme weather events.”
“New Jersey’s unique coastal communities are a highlight of the Jersey experience. In addition to the millions of residents who call our coast home, thousands of families from across the world visit these towns throughout the year, generating billions in tourism dollars for our state’s economy,” said Lt. Governor Tahesha Way. “With climate change making our state more susceptible to destructive effects, we are focusing on ways to safeguard the families and neighborhoods on our coast. I am so grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for this critical funding awarded today to help create more storm-resilient coastal communities in our state to protect neighborhoods and families from harm and maintain our beautiful Jersey Shore.”
“The Murphy Administration is grateful to our federal partners at NOAA for this funding that will support the critical goals outlined in Building a Climate Ready NJ,” Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said today in Perth Amboy, which will benefit from projects funded by the DEP through the NOAA grant. “This initiative complements the DEP’s mission to strengthen coastal resilience in communities most at risk for a changing climate.”
“As part of President Biden’s commitment to combating the climate crisis, we are investing $575 million to help make sure America’s coastal communities are more resilient to the effects of climate change,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “As part of this historic investment in our nation’s climate resilience the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $72.5 million to help underserved communities in New Jersey develop and implement new strategies to protect themselves from flooding, storm surge, and extreme weather events.”
“NOAA recognizes that measurably reducing risks and coastal-area vulnerabilities are integral components of strengthening communities to work towards an equitable, climate resilient future,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “This funding provides New Jersey with climate data and services, technical assistance and critical resources that support transformational resilience, restoration and adaptation in support of the exceptionally strong demand for these types of projects.”
“I am thrilled to see New Jersey receive $72.5 million to fund critical projects across 16 coastal counties to enhance our state’s resilience and readiness for climate impacts,” said Sen. Cory Booker. “This investment, secured through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), will restore wetlands, implement green infrastructure, and protect our environment while also creating new opportunities for education and workforce development. I commend NOAA for their commitment to fostering climate-ready communities, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact of these projects on New Jersey’s coast.”
“These initiatives are crucial for the future of our communities,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. “By investing in green infrastructure, flood risk reduction, and community engagement, we are not only preparing for the challenge of climate change but also creating a more sustainable and resilient future for all New Jersey residents and coastal wildlife. As a longtime champion of legislation to support living shorelines, I was proud to lead the charge to secure these investments through the Inflation Reduction Act.”
“As New Jerseyans continue to feel the threats of extreme weather and flooding, the time for resilience action is now,” said Rep. Andy Kim. Earlier this year, I helped advocate for NOAA to award the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection this funding and am proud that this award will bring federal dollars back to our state to help protect our Jersey Shore and coast communities. By bolstering our resilience across 16 coastal New Jersey counties, this project will help look after people’s safety, livelihoods, and the security of our coastal economies, all while uplifting a new generation of students and workers prepared to implement critical resilience projects.”
“It's great to see the historic investments from the Inflation Reduction Act reach our local communities in New Jersey. I was proud to help pass this legislation into law to improve our nation's climate resilience measures," said Rep. Donald Norcross. "This funding is critical to making our state more resilient to storms, flooding, erosion and other natural hazards. We've got to stay prepared for the next natural disaster and this federal funding will do just that."
“Building a more resilient New Jersey by protecting our coastal communities from the threat of climate change is vital to our shared future,” said Rep. Rob Menendez. “I was proud to stand alongside my colleagues in requesting this important investment, and I’m grateful to NOAA for following through and delivering these funds. Once again, our state is leading the way in the fight against the climate crisis.”
“Resilience in the face of climate change will save lives, shore up our economy, and ensure that New Jersey’s vibrant coastal communities like Perth Amboy will thrive for generations to come,” Senator Joseph F. Vitale, Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin and Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez said in a joint statement. “We are grateful for the support of our partners in the federal government for this investment. From Sandy to Ida, New Jersey has seen the horrific damage super-charged storms can inflict. We have led the nation with innovative legislation and leadership from the DEP to mitigate further risk and now this partnership with NOAA and the Department of Commerce will help build a safer future. Our thanks to Rep. Pallone, Commissioner LaTourette, and all of our partners in federal, state and local government for their determination to deliver for the people of our district and build a resilient New Jersey.”
"Today is a significant day for Perth Amboy and other shore towns in New Jersey,” said Mayor Helmin J. Caba. “This federal investment is going to help us tackle coastal resilience, cut down on flooding, and create habitats for local wildlife with green infrastructure and living shoreline projects. With this funding, we'll boost our stormwater management and make our urban spaces greener and more sustainable. Thank you, Congressman Pallone, for your dedicated support and advocacy. I'm proud that Perth Amboy is part of this initiative. Together, we're making our communities more resilient for the future."
Resilience Framework
Building upon a strong Coastal Resilience Collaborative established after Superstorm Sandy, and partnering with a network of 15 New Jersey-based academic institutions and nongovernmental organizations, Building a Climate Ready NJ will implement multiple projects that increase community and ecological resilience, make climate resilience planning accessible to more New Jersey communities, and help them bring those plans to fruition with comprehensive technical assistance, education, outreach and engagement.
“The plans and projects identified in Building a Climate Ready NJ further advance New Jersey’s comprehensive strategy for addressing the worsening impacts of climate change,” said Chief Resilience Officer Nick Angarone. “In addition to identifying key projects, this initiative will pair climate resilience experts with local community leaders while educating the next generation of environmental stewards in order to move resilience plans into action.”
Proposals were required to include elements focusing on reducing weather and climate impacts to coastal communities and ecosystems, collaborating across regions to ensure widespread impact, involving and benefiting underserved and underrepresented populations, and having long-lasting benefits for communities.
Project Specifics
The projects will be implemented in communities in New Jersey counties that include some of the most densely developed areas in the nation, New Jersey’s largest cities and most rural landscapes, ecologically critical coastal areas and numerous overburdened communities.
Three projects are planned to address issues stemming from flooding, degraded water quality and habitat loss:
These projects will employ green infrastructure and grey infrastructure strategies that enhance recreational opportunities, improve air quality and increase access to waterways and natural areas.
As part of the construction and restoration work for the projects in Newark, Building a Climate Ready NJ will support partnerships to provide hands-on learning opportunities for Newark-area community college students on the design and monitoring of green infrastructure projects, as well as launch a green infrastructure training and entrepreneurship initiative for professionals working in green infrastructure construction.
Climate Resilience Future
To help vulnerable communities prepare for future climate impacts, Building a Climate Ready NJ has a multipronged approach to support an enduring pipeline of resilience projects from concept to design to implementation.
Several initiatives within Building a Climate Ready NJ will enhance municipal and regional capacity to plan for climate change by:
- Expanding the Resilient NJ program to fund direct climate resilience planning assistance;
- Developing a Meadowlands Strategic Plan that will inform municipal climate resilience planning throughout the region;
- Launching an Urban Chief Resilience Officer program that will train and staff Chief Resilience Officers in Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Atlantic City, Camden and Trenton;
- Updating, enhancing, and developing tools and guidance that municipalities can use for resilience planning activities; and
- Updating flood modeling and maps to inform planning and decision-making.
Multiple project partners will collaborate with disadvantaged and overburdened communities to co-design natural and nature-based resilience projects identified through prior planning efforts, preparing them to apply for federal funding for implementation.
Project design initiatives through Building a Climate Ready NJ will further support DEP’s ongoing initiatives to expand urban state park offerings. As climate change worsens, the DEP recognizes that state parks will be even more important for shade and other recreational activities, in addition to restoring natural lands that protect against flooding and coastal erosion.
Building a Climate Ready NJ will fund the development of Phase 2 design plans for the Liberty State Park Revitalization Program, which will improve and enhance existing coastal habitats and provide new public recreational opportunities at the park in Jersey City. The initiative also includes development of community-supported innovative concept designs for a new state park on the Camden waterfront.
To support project design efforts beyond the life of the grant, project partners will train practitioners on successful coastal ecological restoration and community resilience efforts and expand the NJ Coastal Ecological Restoration and Adaptation Planning Tool.
Community Partnerships
Integrated throughout all components of Building a Climate Ready NJ are education, training and engagement initiatives across the region that include expanding the use of the citizen science app MyCoast NJ, climate change resilience programming at the Novins Planetarium at Ocean County College, expanding the Urban Waters Initiative to reach more communities in the Delaware Bayshore, explaining how to use climate data and tools to inform watershed management and climate resilience decision-making, and launching a K-12 Research Practice Partnership to assist educators in teaching about climate change and climate resilience.
For more about the Building a Climate Ready NJ initiative, visit dep.nj.gov/climateready/
To learn about climate change impacts in New Jersey and actions underway to address them, visit dep.nj.gov/climatechange/resilience/.
Follow Commissioner LaTourette on Twitter and Instagram @shawnlatur and follow the DEP on Twitter @NewJerseyDEP, Facebook @newjerseydep, Instagram @nj.dep and LinkedIn @newjerseydep
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