Agate Construction Co Inc.的动态

Senior officials from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and NOAA, including Hannah Pingree of GOPIF, and other state and local officials gathered at Scarborough Marsh on Monday to announce a $10.5 million dollar award through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act and the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support four critical climate resilience and wildlife protection projects in York, Cumberland, and Washington Counties. The funded projects include the resilient restoration of Scarborough Marsh to protect the marsh and improve public access; $4.49 million to replace aging infrastructure culverts in Brunswick and Perry to improve water flows and fish passage, and $2.87 million to construct a new bridge and restore and conserve 18 acres of vulnerable coastal marshland in Wells. An additional $1,775,000 has been awarded to Maine in non-competitive funding. https://loom.ly/GOAdvEw

The City of Oakland will work with the Port of Oakland, East Bay Regional Park District, #IHeartOaklandAlamedaEstuary, and other community partners and local volunteers, to prevent, monitor, and remove abandoned and derelict vessels in the Oakland-Alameda Estuary. The effort is supported by a $3.2 million grant from the NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. Abandoned and derelict vessels can cause problems for our ocean and waterways by blocking navigational channels, damaging ecosystems, and diminishing the recreational value of the surrounding area. Long-term project benefits include improved navigational safety and access to the estuary for vessels, fishers, kayakers, and more. These efforts aim to enhance access to and appreciation of the estuary and highlight its value to the community and local economy. #portofoakland #oakland #estuary

?? Embracing Our Past to Protect Our Future ?? The Southsea Coastal Defence Scheme has shown us that combining innovative engineering with a deep respect for heritage is not only possible but can lead to award-winning results. Recently honoured at the Environment Agency's Flood & Coast Excellence Awards 2024, this project in Southsea, Hampshire, has become a beacon of what can be achieved when we work with history, not against it. This ambitious endeavour, led by Portsmouth City Council and Coastal Partners, focuses on protecting Southsea's historic seafront, home to Tudor fortifications, a Victorian promenade, and a centuries-old castle. Instead of bulldozing through history, we incorporated it into our design solutions. For example, at Long Curtain Moat, we discovered historic walls during excavation and opted to highlight them with a walkway bridge and strategic lighting, creating a harmonious blend of the old and new. The painstaking collaboration with Historic England ensured these ancient assets were not only preserved but became integral features of the defence design. In today's rapidly changing climate, projects like these are more crucial than ever. Sea levels are rising faster than they have in over 2,700 years, making coastal defences an urgent necessity. With over 10,000 homes and 700 businesses in Southsea potentially at risk, this ￡180 million project aims to provide protection and enhance local amenities, all while reducing waste and carbon emissions. This is a brilliant example of how we can face future challenges by anchoring our solutions in the past. #CoastalDefence #HeritageRestoration #ClimateResilience ??????

Presentations from the 2024 State of the Estuary conference from Resilient Landscape scientists Jeremy Lowe and Scott Dusterhoff were highlighted in the recent issue of Knee Deep Times. The story titled, "Sizing Up Progress on Nature-Based Infrastructure" discusses the work Jeremy is doing to help develop a multi-objective solution for State Route 37 in the North Bay and the work Scott is doing to support increased sediment delivery to baylands to help them survive sea-level rise. https://lnkd.in/gm2wd7we

Some 25 states and tribes will get?$220 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce?to fix up coastal and watershed habitats. The money comes from the infrastructure and inflation bills of recent years. Grants will come through NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. #thefederaldrivewithtomtemin

“The Georgia Coastal Management Program (GCMP) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Resources Division (CRD) announces the availability of grant funding for projects that align with the program’s objectives. The funding for this year’s Coastal Incentive Grant (CIG) will support projects within five key themes: Oceans and Wetlands Public Access and Land Conservation Sustainable Communities Disaster Resiliency and Coastal Hazards Nature-Based Solutions” https://lnkd.in/e2xTdYS6

A heartening end to the week with this memo from US Army Corps of Engineers, clearly taking a proactive approach to ensuring the weakened wetland protections aren't the end of healthy wetlands. The Sackett case--which is quickly approaching its anniversary--was a major blow, but it doesn't inherently cancel out the programs and funding that are out there (more on that below). Our key takeaways: ?? The directive to actively pursue new projects that take full advantage of programs and funding unaffected by Sackett is a bold assertive move in the right direction (especially because deadlines were given on ID’ing new work). ?? Better alignment between regulators and the regulated community ensures the greatest potential preservation and restoration of natural capital. ?? Ecobot is excited to support companies who can efficiently contribute to new projects that will crop up in support of this directive, and then provide data insights to prove efficacy and importance of WOTUS over time. The memo calls out programs, laws, and initiatives that aren’t affected by Sackett and encourages USACE employees to actively pursue projects in the categories of: ?? Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration ??Technical Assistance Programs ??Nature-based Solutions ?? Regulatory programs like the 2008 Mitigation Rule Becca Madsen describes below. The memo contains several directives with deadlines for identifying projects, progress, etc. within 60 days to six months, and promises a a comprehensive status update on the implications of the Sackett decision and the actions taken under the directives in this memorandum. Regulated community: What do you see as the most most promising path for wetland protections moving forward?

The US East Coast is adopting a ‘living shorelines’ approach to keep rising seas at bay. "While the usual response has been to build higher seawalls and other concrete or rock structures, a natural approach that aims to protect coastal areas with natural assets that also create habitat and are generally cheaper and less carbon intensive - ‘living shorelines’ - is increasingly taking hold." https://lnkd.in/gaXnEUbq

#LastWeekInCongress: ? The House Committee on Natural Resources advanced the Accelerating Appraisals and Conservation Efforts Act (H.R.5443) to the House floor for consideration. The bipartisan bill would reduce the red tape hindering land sales and exchanges between private lands and federal public lands. ? The same committee also advanced the bipartisan Water Monitoring and Tracking Essential Resources (WATER) Data Improvement Act (H.R.5770) to support water monitoring programs under the U.S. Geological Survey. ? The Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (H.R.8812), a legislative package that reauthorizes flood control, ecosystem restoration, and other water resource projects under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was introduced in the House. ? Introduced in both chambers, the Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act (H.R.8836) would codify the Wildlife Movement and Migration Corridor Grant Program, establish the State and Tribal Migration Research Program, and support other conservation initiatives. Catch up on all recent updates in Congress: https://lnkd.in/e39Gw3CS #Congress #Bipartisan #Water #NaturalResources

Marsh Restoration in Front of Seawalls is an Economically Justified Nature-Based Solution for Coastal Protection A marsh-fronted seawall is a hybrid nature-based coastal protection solution because it attenuates wave energy, reduces erosion, and provides ecosystem services. However, we still have a limited understanding of how to quantify the marsh wave attenuation benefits for economic analysis. Here, we incorporate a prediction of wave attenuation that accounts for species-specific morphology and structural stiffness into a 1-D wave model and validate it with field measurements. Ernie I. H. Lee Prof. Heidi Nepf MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering https://lnkd.in/gpu2y-wN #Coastal #CoastalNews #CoastalProtection