In summary
Leaders of California’s three coastal conservation agencies are calling the Trump Administration’s proposed budget a threat to the state’s environmental and economic future, and urged California’s congressional delegation to push back against deep cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Leaders of California’s three coastal conservation agencies are calling the Trump administration’s proposed budget a threat to the state’s environmental and economic future, and urged California’s congressional delegation to push back against deep cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The letter—sent on behalf of the Coastal Commission, Coastal Conservancy and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission—said the proposed cuts would gut programs that provide grants for communities to invest in protection from flooding and sea level rise, as well as support for critical research and training.
“Eliminating NOAA’s core state grants program when California and all other coastal states are at increasing risk from these growing threats is shortsighted at best,” the letter said. “Most important, it will put California’s economy, coastline, and quality of life for millions of residents at risk.”
The letter cited the federal Coastal Zone Management Act, administered by NOAA, which helps fund coastal infrastructure and recreational access to the coast. The program is especially important, the letter said, because the grants are matched by the state.
Coastal Commission Director Jack Ainsworth, speaking at the last commission meeting, said the proposed funding cuts represent about 10 percent of the agency’s budget and would likely lead to layoffs. The state received $2.7 million from the program in 2016.