# Plain Language Summary: Climate-Resilient Living Shoreline Projects Bill

This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—the federal agency that manages oceans and coasts—to give out grants to help communities build "living shorelines" to protect themselves from coastal flooding and erosion. Instead of traditional hard barriers like concrete seawalls, living shorelines use natural features like marsh grasses, oyster reefs, and native plants to absorb wave energy and reduce storm damage while also supporting wildlife and improving water quality.

The bill essentially creates a funding program for coastal communities, nonprofits, universities, and other organizations to design and build these nature-based protection projects. If you live near the coast in an area vulnerable to flooding, storm surge, or erosion—whether that's along the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf Coast, or Great Lakes—this bill could mean your community has access to federal money to implement these protective measures. The projects would help reduce property damage during hurricanes and nor'easters, prevent saltwater from contaminating freshwater supplies, and create habitats for fish and other marine life at the same time.

The practical effect is that communities won't have to fund these projects entirely on their own. Instead of a town or nonprofit having to raise millions of dollars locally, they can apply for federal grants to cover the costs of planning and construction. This makes it more feasible for smaller or less wealthy communities to invest in climate adaptation strategies that would otherwise be out of reach financially.

A bill to require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to award grants to certain entities for purposes of carrying out climate-resilient living shoreline projects that protect coastal communities, and for other purposes.

Murphy, Christopher

This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish grant programs to support living shoreline projects and research on nature-based infrastructure. NOAA must award grants to state or local governments, nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes to (1) implement climate-resilient living shoreline projects; and (2) encourage innovation in the use of natural materials to protect coastal communities, habitats, and natural system functions. A grant to carry out a living shoreline project may be used only to <ul> <li> carry out the project, including administration, design, permitting, entry into negotiated indirect cost rate agreements, and construction; </li> <li> monitor, collect, and report data on the performance of the project, in accordance with the standard NOAA develops; or</li> <li> incentivize landowners to engage in such projects.</li> </ul> NOAA shall award competitive research grants to eligible entities, including U.S. territories, to carry out projects focused on developing and assessing the effectiveness of innovative approaches to nature-based infrastructure for specified climate-related purposes. NOAA shall award grants to such entities for projects that focus on, among other things <ul> <li>assessing the effectiveness of installed nature-based infrastructure, or</li> <li>novel approaches to nature-based infrastructure and living shorelines.</li> </ul>