Grants from Whitehouse-created NCRF were made possible with additional funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Providence, RI – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse today announced $2,480,539 in federal funding to improve the resiliency of Rhode Island communities. The two grants for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Eastern RI Conservation District are funded through the National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF), which was developed by Whitehouse to restore and strengthen the natural infrastructure protecting coastal communities.
“As the climate crisis pushes our natural resources to the brink, my National Coastal Resilience Fund is helping communities in the Ocean State prepare,” said Whitehouse. “This federal funding will support two local resiliency projects and help two coastal communities on Aquidneck Island safeguard important infrastructure and natural resources.”
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management was awarded $1,800,000 to restore Mill Creek in Portsmouth using box culverts and other nature-based solutions. The project will improve the shoreline habitat and protect critical infrastructure from flooding and storm surge.
“This funding is a vital investment in both the protection of our natural resources and the safety of our communities,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “By addressing stormwater and flooding risks at Mill Creek in Portsmouth, we not only improve climate resilience but also restore the vital coastal ecosystems that sustain our region for future generations.”
A grant of $680,539 was awarded to the Eastern RI Conservation District to restore 1,200 linear-feet of Elizabeth Brook in Newport. This restoration will help reduce flooding and improve coastal resilience through floodplain restoration and riparian buffer creation. The project will also support the development of preliminary design plans for stream restoration, wetland creation, and recreational trails to benefit the local community and Naval Station Newport.
“Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District is thrilled to receive this funding to continue working to address coastal resilience in the Elizabeth Brook watershed. Working closely with committed partners from the City of Newport, Aquidneck Land Trust, Naval Station Newport, and local experts, we are confident this project will produce much-needed, community-driven, nature-based solutions that mitigate flooding and restore habitats,” said Sara Churgin, District Manager, Eastern RI Conservation District. “We are looking forward to the ability to engage with the residents of Newport’s North End, an Environmental Justice area, and empower neighbors to help steer the design process, working alongside a hired consultant to ensure solutions meet the needs of all collaborators. This award plays an important role in helping push this project forward.”
Past local recipients of the grant fund include the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, Bristol County Water Authority, Town of New Shoreham, University of Rhode Island and Friends of Green Hill Pond, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Save The Bay, and the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council and its partners. In Rhode Island, funding has been used to identify sites vulnerable to sea level rise that would benefit from shoreline adaptation, design projects to prevent flooding, and restore dunes and habitats that act as natural buffers for coastal areas.
This round of grants, for 94 projects nationwide totaling $138 million, was made possible with additional funding from Democrats’ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invested $492 million over five years for the National Coastal Resilience Fund. The National Coastal Resilience Fund is jointly administered by NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Since its creation in 2018, the National Coastal Resilience Fund awarded more than $616 million to 494 projects across the nation. Thanks to funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the NCRF awarded more than $324 million to 195 projects nationwide since 2022.
