Hoyer Briefed on Shoreline, Terrapin Project
Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) met with the Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Board for a briefing on the Living Shoreline and Terrapin Habitat Restoration Project. (Photo courtesy Rep. Hoyer’s office)
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer received a briefing on the Living Shoreline and Terrapin Habitat Restoration Project from the Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Board.
The visit to Leonardtown on April 5 was part of House Democrats’ and the Regional Leadership Council’s Investing in America Week of Action.
Th RC&D conservation effort was made possible by a $2,428,200 grant from the National Coastal Resilience Fund. The federal funds are bolstering climate resiliency and reducing the risks and impacts of rising seas, coastal flooding, and intense storms on coastal areas and habitats, the congressman said.
The NCRF was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and enhanced through the Inflation Reduction Act — laws that Congressman Hoyer helped pass as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
“Maryland’s natural environment isn’t just beautiful — it’s critical to our culture, economy, and national security,” Congressman Hoyer (D-MD) said. “Seeing how funds I helped secure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are helping to preserve our state underscores the transformational impact of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. I’m grateful for the Southern Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Board’s dedication to this important issue and their continued work to protect a region I’m so proud to call home.”
The Living Shoreline and Terrapin Habitat Restoration Project protects shoreline critical to regional climate resiliency, the US Navy’s military mission near Naval Air Station Patuxent River, and nesting habitats for Northern Diamondback Terrapins. Additionally, these BIL and IRA funds will advance an ongoing nesting behavior study that will allow researchers to look at the effect of shoreline restoration on this critical species.
“RC&D and our partners are very proud of this project and appreciate the interest and dedication of Congressman Hoyer to secure additional funding to support climate resilience projects that are so desperately needed,” said Allison Burnett, executive director of Southern Maryland Resource Conservation & Development Board. “As we experience increased effects of climate change like storm surge, erosion, and flooding, the need for conservation and restoration is greater than ever. We are grateful for the influx of funding from the BIL and IRA to accomplish this important work. We will continue to work diligently with our dedicated partners to advance climate resiliency for the region.”
The total funding for the NCRF is $492 million over five years from the BIL, with an additional $46 million in funding leveraged from the IRA. In 2023, the NCRF invested approximately $144 million in 96 projects, including at Pax River, using these funds to help communities prepare for increasing coastal flooding and more intense storms, while improving thousands of acres of coastal habitats. These enhancements to fish and wildlife habitats also help protect communities from coastal hazards.
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