The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing ongoing funding through the national coastal zone management program to the state of virginia to help administer the states…

The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing ongoing funding through the national coastal zone management program to the state of virginia to help administer the states federally approved coastal management program. The national coastal zone management program, under the coastal zone management act, is an important voluntary federal-state partnership that protects, restores, and responsibly develops our nations coastal communities and resources by balancing economic development, coastal uses, and natural resource protection. Noaas investment of over $3.1M is leveraging $2.6M in state and local funds. These funds will support jobs and provide continued assistance to the virginia coastal management program to address many important coastal issues in the state including coastal hazards and resilience, habitat restoration and protection, ocean planning, and stewardship programs and activities. The funding also supports ongoing coastal community planning, marine debris reduction, wetland and shoreline mapping and permitting, beach and dunes protection, water quality management, and public outreach and education. The award also is supporting the following new initiatives: an assessment of public financing options in support of coastal dredging and resilience activities in rural jurisdictions. Expansion of technical assistance and training for resilience planning, including use of the resilience adaptation feasibility tool in the hampton roads planning district commission and continued support for the community rating system across many localities to reduce insurance premiums. Characterization and mapping of aggregate resources for purposes of contributions to resilience-related infrastructure projects such as the raising of critical roadways in the face of sea level rise and flooding. Development of a draft virginia ocean plan to guide decision-making in ways that balance emerging economic ocean uses with conservation of coastal resources and preservation of traditional uses. The award also supports all virginia coastal communities through resilience-focused coordination, planning, and technical assistance offered by the eight coastal planning district commissions to local government units in the commonwealth. This effort continues the successful advancement of community best practices consistent with direction from the virginia coastal resilience master plan. Work will include identifying regional resilience priorities, effective stakeholder and public engagement, technical assistance, geospatial analyses, and updates to a statewide resilience database capturing projects and best practices.