The Board of the California State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) recently awarded $3.8 million for 12 projects in the Conservancy’s Climate Ready grant program, which supports projects to increase the resilience of coastal resources and communities to the impacts of climate change.
These grants were part of a total of nearly $18.5 million in 19 grants for the protection and restoration of California’s coastal resources.
“ For the first time, this year’s Climate Ready grants were funded by state cap-and-trade proceeds, which are deposited in the state greenhouse gas reduction fund (GGRF) and administered by the California Air Resources Board ,” California State Coastal Conservancy said in its release.
“In order to meet GGRF’s legislative purposes, projects must facilitate reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and, where feasible, include additional co-benefits, such as investment in disadvantaged communities and economic, environmental and public health benefits to the state. 86% of the $3.8 million awarded is going to projects that are located in and benefit disadvantaged communities.”
Also approved was $5.7 million for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to place dredged sediment from Redwood City Harbor at wetland restoration sites on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay.
USACE dredges approximately 1.5 million to 2 million cubic yards of sediment each year in San Francisco Bay, maintaining federal navigation channels for shipping.
The sediment dredged by USACE must be placed at permitted placement sites, such as the Deep Ocean Disposal Site or In-Bay disposal sites, or at beneficial use sites. Many of the restorable diked baylands have subsided and need sediment to raise their elevations or to create transition zones prior to tidal restoration, said the Conservancy.
This funding will enable sediment from Redwood City Harbor to be placed at restoration sites in Bay as the Corps requires a nonfederal sponsor to pay the incremental cost above the cost for In-Bay disposal to place the sediment at a beneficial use site.