Recent coastal ecosystem-restoration grants to Sayreville and Long Beach Township through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund have brought federal funding for communities participating in the state’s innovative Resilient NJ program to $26.5 million since 2021, Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced today.
The DEP’s highly successful Resilient NJ program supports local and regional climate resilience planning through the use of the best available climate science. To date, Resilient NJ has funded planning projects in 32 municipalities. In addition, a multi-municipal planning project in Burlington County is expected to kick off this year, spanning 11 municipalities along the Route 130 corridor.
These newly funded initiatives – wetland and upland restoration along Sayreville’s South River and a salt marsh restoration and living shoreline project in Long Beach Township – will implement natural solutions to protect lives, property, and natural resources from the intensifying impacts of climate change.
“New Jersey is grateful for this grant funding available through the widely successful National Coastal Resilience Fund,” Commissioner LaTourette said. “These local projects will build upon the Murphy Administration’s multi-faceted approach to enhancing climate resilience statewide through regulatory solutions and strategic planning. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to climate resilience, the continued support and commitment of our federal and local partners to address important climate concerns puts us on a firm path to strengthen community infrastructure and the economy while safeguarding property and enhancing our environment.”
Specifically, the recent grants will fund the following projects:
- Sayreville, Middlesex County: $1.57 million to complete the final design for restoring 188 acres of South River wetland ecosystem and upland habitat to improve habitats for ospreys, bald eagles and terrapins. The project will also strengthen flood resilience.
- Long Beach Township, Ocean County: A $345,800 grant, coupled with $37,800 in local matching funds, will develop the final design for a back bay salt marsh restoration and living shoreline project that will reduce flooding to critical municipal facilities and improve public access. The project will restore and expand the existing tidal salt marsh by creating a marsh sill, which is a type of living shoreline that involves placing hard structural components, such as stones, along the shoreline to absorb wave energy, reducing the rate of erosion of the marsh behind it.
“With 2024 marking the hottest year on record globally, and in light of the recent and ongoing climate-related disasters across the country, the importance and urgency of planning and preparing for climate change has never been clearer,” said Chief Resilience Officer Nick Angarone. “These federal awards demonstrate what many resilience experts and practitioners already know: thoughtful and actionable planning leads to successful funding applications and impactful projects in our communities.”
Building Community Climate Resilience
To date, Resilient NJ is funding or has funded four regional climate resilience action plans and nine municipal plans that address gaps in resilience planning in partnership with underserved and socially vulnerable populations. These plans help enhance the value of ecological, recreational and economic resources.
New Jersey’s strong regulatory reforms are a vital component of climate resilience in the state. However, they are just one element of a broad strategy that also includes resilience planning and investment in communities.
The Resilient NJ program supports comprehensive local and regional climate resilience planning. The program pairs local governments with qualified consultant teams who facilitate the development of a resilience action plan. This process involves a comprehensive climate risk assessment and a robust engagement effort across a wide range of community members and stakeholders, particularly those from underserved and socially vulnerable populations. The resilience action plans that result from this work outline a suite of creative policies, projects, and programs that the community can undertake to reduce their climate risk.
Supporting Resilient NJ Goals
Throughout the past four years, communities participating in the Resilient NJ program have received more than $26.5 million in grant funds from programs such as the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation National Coastal Resilience Fund, FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, and other federal and state opportunities.
In addition to this year’s awards for the Sayreville and Long Beach Township projects, communities participating in Resilient NJ also benefited from nearly $2 million in National Coastal Resilience Funds in 2023:
- Long Beach Township, Ocean County: Developing Final Designs for Bay Islands Restoration, $772,300
- City of Ventnor, Atlantic County: Assessing Resilience Enhancement, $200,000
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Designing Coastal Habitat Enhancements for Community and Habitat Resilience, $976,400
Since 2021, Resilient NJ communities have additionally received over $21 million through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grant Program to implement projects identified in their resilience action plans:
- City of Bayonne, Hudson County: Cottage Street Flood Mitigation Project, $4,642,474 (2021)
- City of Bayonne, Hudson County: 63rd Street Pump Station Generator Project, $2,207,088 (2021)
- City of Newark, Essex County: Ironbound Resilience Hub, $10,576,122 (2021)
- Jersey City, Hudson County: McGovern Park Resilience Project, $3,841,954 (2022)
Resilience Resources for Communities
To provide further guidance on climate resilience initiatives, in November 2024 the Murphy Administration launched an online Climate Resilience Funding Directory to help municipalities, community-based organizations and state agencies identify resources for funding climate resilience projects, including local infrastructure improvements, hazard mitigation efforts and community resilience planning opportunities.
To explore the Climate Resilience Funding Directory and discover funding opportunities for climate adaptation and resilience, visit dep.nj.gov/climatechange/resources/tools-and-web-apps/ and click on the Climate Resilience Funding Directory card.
The Department of Environmental Protection also maintains the Local Planning for Climate Change Toolkit, an online resource outlining tools and necessary steps for local governments to undertake resilience planning efforts on their own.
To explore the Climate Resilience Funding Directory and the Local Planning for Climate Change Toolkit, and to discover additional tools and resources for climate adaptation and resilience, visit dep.nj.gov/climatechange/resources/tools-and-web-apps/