Sponsors (2)
The bill boosts coastal resilience and ecosystem restoration through federal funding and technical help, but requires open‑ended federal spending and imposes enforceable state-level requirements and eligibility/prioritization rules that may delay or unevenly distribute aid and create new costs for local governments and property owners.
Coastal states and their communities receive federal grants and technical assistance to develop and implement climate adaptation plans and finance green infrastructure and upgrades to existing infrastructure, reducing flood damage and long-term repair costs.
Local communities gain funding for habitat restoration and water-quality projects (buffers, refugia) that support fisheries, recreation, and local natural resources.
Long-term environmental monitoring tied to adaptive management improves the effectiveness of future coastal planning and disaster response by state and local governments.
Taxpayers may bear open‑ended costs because the bill authorizes indefinite “such sums as necessary” appropriations for the program.
States must adopt enforceable policies to implement plans, which can create new regulatory requirements and compliance costs for local governments, homeowners, and small businesses.
Limiting eligibility to States with approved Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) programs could delay or block assistance for coastal communities in States without approved programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds a NOAA-administered coastal climate adaptation program authorizing grants and technical aid to help coastal States develop and implement voluntary adaptation plans with monitoring requirements.
Official title: To amend the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a coastal climate change adaptation preparedness and response program, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 24, 2025 by Salud Carbajal · Last progress April 24, 2025
Creates a new coastal climate change adaptation and response program within the Coastal Zone Management Act that authorizes NOAA to provide financial, technical, and training assistance to coastal States with federally approved coastal management programs. The program funds the voluntary development and adoption of state coastal climate adaptation plans that identify vulnerable facilities and ecosystems, establish adaptive management strategies, and require long-term monitoring; NOAA must issue guidelines within 180 days and approve plans for grant eligibility.