Today, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department of Commerce and NOAA have recommended $1.97 million for a project including Delaware to make the state’s coast more resilient to climate change and other coastal hazards. The project encompasses rural coastal communities in the Delmarva region of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The awards are being made under the Biden Administration’s Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, a competitive, $575 million program funded through the nearly $6 billion total investment under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. 

“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 $1.97 million to help underserved communities in Delaware develop and implement new strategies to protect themselves from the impacts of climate change.” 

Administered by the Department of Commerce and NOAA, the Climate-Ready Coasts initiative is focused on investing in high-impact projects that create climate solutions by storing carbon; build resilience to coastal hazards such as extreme weather events, pollution and marine debris; restore coastal habitats that help wildlife and humans thrive; build the capacity of underserved communities and support community-driven restoration; and provide employment opportunities.

“To be a climate-ready coast and nation, the issues facing our farmers must be met,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “This project will help ensure the continuation of our food supply and farming as a means of supporting families.” 

The recommended project and $1,973,267 in total funding will be led by Virginia Tech. The project, Leveraging Cooperative Extension to Build an Enduring Capacity for Equitable and Inclusive Resilience in Rural Agricultural Communities across Coastal Delaware, Maryland and Virginia will be a joint, multistate effort that includes establishing a regional collaborative to support climate resilience in rural communities in the Delmarva region, where agriculture plays a key role in the local economy and culture. Project partners will conduct a needs assessment and a series of community listening sessions to identify current capabilities, challenges and opportunities to increase resilience – particularly in low-income, minority and agricultural communities. 

This project will also support an educational component that will strengthen the capacity to initiate and participate in climate adaptation and resilience projects. Challenges addressed with this project include sea level rise, temperature changes, changing precipitation patterns and the impact on communities and agriculture. 

Additional information is available on the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge website. 

Climate, weather, and water affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources.