The Coastal Conservancy has announced a second round of Climate Ready grants. You can view the announcement on The Coastal Conservancy website.
Please see the related press release below:
Sen. Ted Lieu measure brings in $1.5 million in grants to fight climate change, rising sea levels
SACRAMENTO – If your coastal community is serious about fighting climate change, a check of up to $500,000 could soon be on its way.
Thanks to a 2012 pro-environment law by Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Redondo Beach, funding is now available for local governments and private organizations with innovative ideas on how to improve California’s coastal areas and mitigate sea-level rise.
Known as Climate Ready grants, developed under Lieu’s Senate Bill 1066, a total amount of $1.5 million in second-round grant funding for projects will help coastal communities prepare for a changing climate. The grants will range from $200,000 to $500,000, although the total amount available may be increased depending on additional funding. The application deadline for these funds is August 22, 2014.
“The California Coastal Conservancy is seeking to attract the best and brightest ideas to address climate change,” Lieu, said. “We must focus both on reducing emissions and adapting to what we already know will be a warmer earth. Given the alarming trends and proven science that climate change is getting worse, it’s hard to imagine a more urgent environmental issue facing policymakers.”This second round of the CCC’s grants program, called Climate Ready Round 2,will focus on implementing on-the-ground activities and is targeting eligibility for funding to three categories to:
· Address sea level rice using green or natural infrastructure adaptation approaches;
· Implement a multi-benefit urban greening project especially in at-risk communities;
· Improve the resiliency and sustainability of agricultural operations and increase natural resources conservation.
“Billions of dollars of economic activity are at stake,” Lieu said about an infrastructure that is directly threatened by rising sea levels. “With the coastal economy contributing $40 billion annually to the state and with 80 percent of California’s 38 million residents living within 30 miles of the coast, we must act now to ensure our coastal economy weathers climate change.”Lieu, who represents about 1.3 million residents of west Los Angeles County, introduced SB 1066 in the wake of record-high temperatures, changing weather patterns and rising ocean levels. His measure gave the Conservancy explicit authority to assist in addressing the impacts of climate change on coastal resources.
Lieu’s law last January resulted in $1.3 million in first-round coastal-improvement grants, including $340,000 in West Los Angeles County. For details on those local projects, click HERE.Successful applications will maximize public benefits to the coast, the coastal watershed or the San Francisco Bay region, consistent with statewide climate policy. In addition, in order to qualify, projects must address extreme weather events, sea level rise, storm surges, beach and bluff erosion, salt water intrusion, flooding and other hazards that threaten ports, harbors and coastal community infrastructure and natural resources. Grant funding will be available in spring of 2015. More at the link below.“Our Climate Ready grant program is a direct result of SB 1066,” said Sam Schuchat, Executive Officer of the California State Coastal Conservancy. “We are excited to get to work safeguarding the health and safety of California’s citizens and natural resources.”For more than 30 years, the Coastal Conservancy has worked with public and private entities to protect restore and enhance coastal resources and habitats, including deteriorating urban waterfronts and poorly designed coastal development.
