Budget and Appropriations

President's Budget

The President's budget is expected to be released on March 9th. It is important to note that the NOAA Bluebook with the details of the NOAA budget, as well as other agency specific budgets, will likely be delayed at least until next week if not later. We will provide details once they are available.

FY24 Appropriations

The CSO FY24 Appropriations request has been updated with a new ROP request amount matching the authorization level under the ROP Act. The request as well as the Appropriations Meetings Slides and the FY24 State Allocation Estimates are on the Member Only Website here. CSO will be submitting directly to Committees and Congressional Member Offices, but we highly recommend that those CZM Programs that are able, also submit requests to their Members of Congress. We have started sending out weekly emails to those with upcoming deadlines and submission directions.

Members of Congress continue to introduce legislation, to keep track of new legislation check out the Legislation Tracker.

See here for the March monthly regulatory update.  More information on rulemaking developments is available on the Regulatory Resources page.

USACE WRDA22 Implementation Guidance – Comments Due March 21, 2023

On January 20, 2023, USACE opened public comment on implementation guidance for the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA22). Feedback at this stage should indicate which provisions to develop implementation guidance as well as recommendations for how to implement each provision. Comments may be submitted via Regulations.gov through March 21, 2023.

CSO and ASBPA Released New Report on Sediment Placement Regulations in the U.S.

ASBPA and Coastal States Organization, with support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources, are pleased to share the new report Sediment Placement Regulations of U.S. Coastal States and Territories: Towards Regional Sediment Management Implementation.This new report provides a comparative analysis of federal- and state-level regulations on placing sediment in the coastal zone with state-by-state profiles, with best practices, success stories, and recommendations. This report's findings will help inform coastal managers seeking to better manage coastal sediment in their jurisdictions, increase BUDM, and catalyze systemic changes that promote comprehensive regional sediment management. CSO's Derek Brockbank and ASBPA's Nicole Elko discussed the report on the most recent episode of th American Shoreline Podcast. Listen to the podcast here or whereever you get your podcasts

CSO RFP for Great Lakes Coastal and Nearshore Habitat Engineering & Design

CSO has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a design team to address coastal and nearshore habitat restoration engineering and design needs in the Great Lakes. To carry out this project, the design team will work with three Great Lakes states to complete engineering and design work on the projects selected. Proposals are due March 31, 2023. To learn more here.

2023 National Coastal Resilience Fund RFP Now Open

On February 16, 2023, NOAA and NFWF released the Request for Proposals for the 2023 National Coastal Resilience Fund. NFWF will award up to $140 million in grants. The four project categories for the 2023 round are:

1. Community Capacity Building and Planning
2. Site Assessment and Preliminary Design
3. Final Design and Permitting
4. Restoration Implementation

Pre-proposals must be submitted through NFWF’s Easygrants system no later than Wednesday, April 12, 2023.

USACE Floodplain Management Services Interagency Nonstructural Program

The USACE Floodplain Management Services (FPMS) Interagency Nonstructural Program is seeking proposals for projects to reduce flood risk. All proposals must be interagency and will leverage resources invested by others (monetary or in-kind). At least two governmental or tribal partners beyond USACE must be identified for the effort to be considered interagency. Public-private partnerships are welcome.  Examples of nonstructural FPMS products (note these studies do not result in construction but can help communities better manage their local flood risk):

• flood warning plans
• floodplain mapping and management
• structure damage assessments
• flood emergency preparedness plans
• dam education and awareness

Studies are typically budgeted at or under $100k. Proposals should describe work capable of being completed within 12-18 months from initiation, although a 12-month timeline is preferred. In order to apply, fill out and submit the proposal template and partner support template to Kira Baltutis and Dave Handwerk. Applications Due: March 15th, 2023. Application Documents: Proposal Template, Partner Support Template.

ASBPA, SECOORA, and IOOS Association Water Level Observations Survey

The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA), the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA), and the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Association are seeking participants to help assess U.S. coastal community interest in expansion of a water level network established in the Southeast. Please take a moment to fill out their short survey by March 17, 2023. Responses are anonymous. The results will help them to advocate for similar water level networks in other coastal regions and on a national scale. Coastal managers, as well as representatives from agencies, industry, NGOs and academia are encouraged to take the survey. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact ASBPA Science Director Nicole Elko. 

OCM Training

OCM is offering the following upcoming trainings:

• Economic Guidance: Introduction to Economic Analyses and Valuation on March 15, 2023.
• Economic Guidance: Pathways to Valuing Ecosystem Services on Marhc 29, 2023.

NMFS Draft National Seafood Strategy

On February 14, 2023, NOAA NMFS released a draft National Seafood Strategy, setting out agency goals for wild capture and aquaculture food production, access to domestic and global markets, and strengthening the U.S. seafood sector. A listening session will be held on March 9th; registration is required. Public comment may be submitted via form through March 16, 2023.