Warren, Markey, Keating and Kennedy Announce Major Storm Mitigation Grants for Massachusetts
Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey, and Representatives Bill Keating and Joe Kennedy III today announced that Massachusetts has been awarded major grants from the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support storm mitigation efforts. Salt marsh and wetland restoration and flood resilience projects in Dartmouth, Chatham, Harwich, Yarmouth and Taunton will receive more than $10.4 million in total funding.
"These grants will support important efforts to preserve the Commonwealth's coastal areas and restore our natural storm barriers," said Senator Warren. "I'm very glad Massachusetts has received this significant funding, which will help strengthen community resilience before disaster strikes to better protect us from future storms."
"Massachusetts's unique and treasured coastal areas will benefit from this important storm mitigation funding. As we approach the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, we must do everything we can to build resilience in our coastal communities and strengthen our marshland and beaches to ensure we are prepared for future storms," said Senator Markey.
"These projects not only help protect and preserve our natural habitats, they will also create jobs and put revenue right back into our local economy," said Congressman Keating. "These grants are a great win for Southeastern Massachusetts."
"Massachusetts' coastal communities are among our most extraordinary, but at times our most vulnerable," said Congressman Kennedy. "These grants will bring much needed protection to the cities and towns across our Commonwealth that are susceptible to natural disasters and extreme weather. Along the Mill River, the funds will reduce the risk of floods and minimize the damage that they can cause to businesses, households and neighborhoods in the Greater Taunton Area."
As part of the funding awarded to Massachusetts, $2,277,000 will be used to directly restore 11.6 acres of salt marsh lost for nearly 100 years, and will protect the ecological integrity of the 70 acre Meadow Shores Marsh in Dartmouth. Another $3,762,000 has been awarded to the Muddy Creek Wetland Restoration Project, which will remove stone culverts and replace them with a bridge and open channel on Route 28 on the Chatham and Harwich border. Yarmouth was also awarded $3,718,000 for the Parkers Tidal Restoration Project to replace a tidally-restrictive bridge with a larger span structure and the replacement of two fish passage structures, and Taunton will receive $650,000 to remove two aging mill dams from the Mill River, to reduce the probability of flooding and dam breaches.
The full list of awards, totaling $162 million and supporting 45 projects, can be found here.
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