Press Release
Posted:
St. Helena – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) released the following statement after President Joe Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom announced over $600 million from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is being rolled out to communities throughout California and across the country for climate resilience projects.
“The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing our world today and it demands our immediate attention,” said Thompson. “Last Congress, we made significant strides towards taking on the climate crisis through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. Now, we are seeing the direct impact of these laws through investments in climate and grid resilience programs in California and across our country. The successes of last Congress are just a first step, and I am committed to continuing this progress so we can protect the planet for generations to come.
The funding announced by President Biden and Governor Newsom is part of a first-ever Climate Resilience Regional Challenge to help coastal and Great Lakes communities, including Tribal communities in those regions, become more resilient to extreme weather and other impacts of the climate crisis. The funding will support innovative coastal resilience and adaptation solutions, such as building natural infrastructure, planning and preparing for community-led relocation, and protecting public access to coastal natural resources, that protect communities and ecosystems from sea level rise, tidal flooding hurricanes, storm surge, among other severe climate impacts. The Challenge is part of the $2.6 billion in resilience funding for NOAA included in the Inflation Reduction Act. In addition, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is investing $2.3 billion in states, Territories, Tribes, and the District of Columbia over the next five years to bolster grid resilience across the country. As part of this investment, California is set to receive $67.4 million in the coming days, with the ability to apply for additional funding in the future, to modernize its electric grid to reduce impacts from extreme weather, natural disasters, and wildfires, and to ensure the reliability of the state’s power sector.
On Monday, President Biden and Governor Newsom visited the Baylands Nature Preserve, one of the largest tracts of undisturbed marshland remaining in the San Francisco Bay. The Preserve is part of the Strategy to Advance Flood protection, Ecosystems and Recreation along the San Francisco Bay (SAFER Bay) Project, a flood and sea-level resilience project that will protect almost 1,600 properties and will enable the restoration of approximately 600 acres of marsh from former salt ponds.