Shaheen Applauds More than $1.3 Million in NOAA Funding for Granite State Coastal Restoration

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, celebrated the announcement of more than $1 million in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funding for Granite State coastal restoration through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund.

“Investing in New Hampshire’s natural resources is essential not only for our environment, but for the strength of our economy,” said Senator Shaheen. “Building resiliency—from flood-hazard assessments to wetland and habitat protection—lays the groundwork for healthier ecosystems, stronger local economies and a more sustainable future for the Granite State. I helped secure this federal funding, which will help Granite State communities confront flooding risks and use nature to reduce impacts around the Great Bay estuary, and I’ll continue to support these efforts.”

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services will receive $999,711 to develop a flood hazard assessment to identify areas vulnerable to flood risk and create a plan to serve as a long-term roadmap to mitigate risk and guide solutions. Ducks Unlimited—a non-profit organization focused on waterfowl and wetland conservation—will receive $304,658 to create nature-based restoration plans to enhance coastal storm protection and water quality for communities near New Hampshire's Great Bay estuary while combating habitat loss for at-risk wildlife.

The National Coastal Resilience Fund, established in 2018, invests in nature-based solutions that protect coastal communities while enhancing habitats for fish and wildlife. The National Coastal Resilience Fund invests in conservation projects that restore, increase and strengthen natural infrastructure such as coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, rivers and floodplains, coastal forest and barrier islands that mitigate the impacts of storms and other coastal hazards to communities.

Shaheen is the former chair and a current member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which funds NOAA. In the fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding bill advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen helped secure inclusion of $32 million for NOAA’s National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund, which supports NFWF’s National Coastal Resilience Fund. This funding will help coastal communities in New Hampshire and across the nation bolster their resilience to changing climate, as well as support ocean health and research. Last year, Shaheen announced nearly $1 million in NOAA grant funding for New Hampshire to support coastal resiliency projects. Shaheen was also a lead negotiator of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supported the Inflation Reduction Act, which included historic investments to address coastal resilience.

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