Biden puts $575 million toward making coastal communities more resilient to climate change

The Biden administration is putting $575 million toward making coastal and Great Lake communities more resilient to climate change. 

The funds, from the Democrats’ climate, tax and health care bill, will pay for 19 projects in 15 states, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Micronesia. 

The projects are divided into two types: 11 smaller “planning and capacity building awards” that help states assess their risks and build their workforces and eight larger “implementation awards.”

These larger projects are aimed at helping states do things like acquire land, bolster resilience of public infrastructure and building natural infrastructure. 

These awards include funds that will help Washington state do things like, for example, realign its State Route 112 and conduct shoreline and habitat restoration. 

“Coastal communities are already on the front lines of experiencing the impacts of extreme weather fueled by the climate crisis,” said John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for International Climate Policy, in a written statement. 

 “These grants will better equip them to design locally-led projects to build a stronger and more resilient future in a warming world,” he added.