New England Municipal Coastal Resilience Initiative

The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment (GOMC) and the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) will provide up to $150,000 to coastal municipalities located in New England to advance their efforts to adapt land use, infrastructure, policies, and programs to changing environmental conditions. GOMC and NROC seek a representative range of technical capacities and coastal hazards challenges that exist in cities and towns across New England’s coastal zone. Pilot projects will be selected from each of the five coastal New England states: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The selected communities will be awarded up to $30,000 each over 18 months and serve as models for other coastal communities looking to adapt to changing conditions.

To view the RFP and any additional information, see the New England Group on StormSmart Connect (www.stormsmart.org/groups/new-england). Please contact Adrianne Harrison (adrianne.harrison@noaa.gov) with questions about this RFP. LOIs are due by 5:00 p.m. on September 29, 2011 and full proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. on November 10, 2011.

You can find a PDF with full details on this page.

Gulf of Mexico Regional Partnerships Request for Proposals (RFP) 2011

On, August 16, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the release of the Gulf of Mexico Regional Partnerships RFP 2011. The RFP is posted on the Gulf of Mexico Program’s website at: http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/, and at: http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/pdf/gm-regional-partnerships-rfp-2011.pdf.

The RFP is also posted at Grants.gov at: http://j.mp/rpLYoN

Applicants can download individual grant application forms from EPA’s Office of Grants and Debarment website at: http://www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/application.htm.

Proposals must be received by the Agency Contact by hard copy through the mail or commercial delivery service or through electronic submission to: http://www.grants.gov. The Agency Contact is Gerry Martin, martin.gerry@epa.gov, 228-688-1281. The address for hard copy submission is:

EPA/Gulf of Mexico Program Office
ATTN: Gerry Martin
Mail Code: EPA/GMPO
Building 1100, Room 232
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529

The deadline for submissions is 5:00 P.M. Central Standard Time (CST), Friday, September 30, 2011.

This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits proposals for projects that improve the health of the Gulf of Mexico by addressing improved water quality and public health, priority coastal habitat conservation and restoration, more effective coastal environmental education, improved ecosystems integration and assessment, strategic nutrient reductions and coastal community resilience. Projects must actively involve stakeholders and focus on one of the six priority issue areas contained in the announcement; and/or the goals and objectives of the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program (acres restored, impaired stream/river segments removed and water quality improved.)

The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $3,000,000. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 10 – 50 cooperative agreement(s) from this announcement, subject to availability of funds, the quality of proposals received and other applicable considerations.

That’s not chump-change.

If your community is considering a nourishment project, this short article is worth a read.

“Feds reject Virginia Beach’s $15M offer to pay for sand,” (via the Pilot Online)

Image: kennymatic.

Climate and Societal Interactions Program

The Climate and Societal Interactions (CSI) Program provides leadership, both nationally and internationally, in developing interdisciplinary science and services, including assessments, for application in climate-sensitive sectors and regions. U.S. and internationally focused activities are housed within the same framework to facilitate cross-program community building and learning about the challenges and solutions associated with understanding and meeting the climate-related needs of decision makers through focused research, assessment, and capacity building activities. The goals of the CSI program are: 1) identification and articulation of user-community requirements in multiple sectors, initially with regard to water resources and the coastal zone then branching to related sectors; 2) research and development of innovative and broadly applicable tools, methodologies and knowledge to support decision-making, especially for risk characterization, both through a broad network of regionally scoped, long-term efforts and stakeholder-specific efforts; and 3) promotion of the transfer of knowledge, tools, and products across climate service development efforts (within NOAA, across the federal government, nationally, and internationally).

In FY 2012, the following CSI competitions will be held:

1. International Research and Applications Project (IRAP) is soliciting proposals for an integrated effort that will serve as NOAA’s primary international mechanism for interpreting and translating the agency’s (and that of other USG and international entities, where appropriate) evolving climate information products and services with the appropriate impacts and assessment research to develop applications, partnerships, and capacity-building activities that inform practical decision making and outcomes in select regions of the world. IRAP will support elements of work done previously by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society under a long-standing cooperative agreement with NOAA that is expiring.
2. RISA is soliciting proposals to fund one RISA team either in the one existing region within the network whose cooperative agreement has ended and is being re-competed (Arizona and New Mexico), or in new regions
3. SARP is soliciting proposals for two focus areas: climate-related impacts on water resource planning; and 2) projects supporting the Coping with Drought Initiative in support of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS).
4. COCA will solicit proposals for two competitions focused on 1) influence of climate variability and change on the coastal built environment and coastal and marine ecosystems that face a complex suite of multiple stressors; and (2) a partnership with the National Estuarine Research Reserve System on coastal adaptation.

Funding availability: It is anticipated that $6.5 million will be available in FY12 for new projects. Projects should be primarily in the $50,000-$120,000/year range, with the exception of the competitions for the RISA team and the International Research and Applications Project.

Application Time Line

• Letters of intent are due on July 26, 2011. These letters are not required – but are highly recommended.
• Full applications for all competitions (except for the International Research and Applications Project) must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, October 3, 2011.

Download a copy of the CSI funding opportunities for the specific topics
requested for this year’s submission.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have announced a joint agreement that will protect the safety, health, and property of people living in or visiting coastal communities around the nation. The two agencies will partner with local governmental entities to improve the sustainability of waterfront communities and protect coastal ecosystems, including anticipating and reducing impacts of climate change. They will provide technical assistance and training to implement more sustainable construction and land use practices, develop innovative, web-based tools to better provide the public and local government with essential scientific and technical information, collaborate on the development of the National Coastal Condition Assessment and Reports which depict the condition of the nation’s coastal waters based on data collected and analyzed by state agencies, and support place-based projects focused on equitable development and climate adaptation in coastal urban watersheds.

This agreement builds on a 2005-2010 EPA-NOAA partnership which provided training on resilience and smart growth to over 400 coastal community officials and developed the publication Smart Growth for Coastal and Waterfront Communities.

Want more detailed information on what this all means? You can find a PDF overview here.

There are many options, of course. You could somehow acquire and then relocate the structure to a safer area, but sometimes that’s not practical or possible.

If the building can’t be moved from the risky area, the next best thing is to keep it from getting damaged by floods and storms. And one of the best ways to do this is to elevate it above flood waters.

This isn’t a small task, or a simple one, which his why we’re so thrilled with what the folks at Louisiana State University’s AgCenter have done with their new Elevating an Existing Home fact sheet. In eight illustrated pages, they cover when and why you should consider elevating a home, choosing how high to elevate (freeboard, or no freeboard?), how to work with different foundation types, and even how you might pay for it.

Highly recommended, and not just for Louisiana, or even coastal states: this resource should be spread far and wide. Nice work, LSU. And thanks to Pat Skinner for sharing this with us.

Download the PDF: Elevating an Existing Home, a part of LSU’s Build Safer, Stronger, Smarter Program.

UPDATE: Pat has wisely requested that I clarify/emphasize that this fact sheet is designed for Louisiana conditions, and that other states need to consider their own climate, soil types, and state programs. (Thanks, Pat.)

UPDATE 2: Michele Deshotels has sent a link to a good example of elevation at work in Louisiana. It’s a quick and informative read, though, as noted above, keep in mind your local conditions when considering application of any specific techniques in the article. (Thanks, Michele.)

The OCRM in Your State

The Gulf of Mexico regional Sea Grant programs and their partners (Ocean Research Priorities Plan, NOAA Coastal Storms Program, NOAA Coastal Services Center, and the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program) are pleased to announce a multi-disciplinary funding opportunity.

The following funding areas are addressed in the attached request for proposals:

• Coastal Storms
• Ecosystem Services Valuation
• Sea-Level-Rise Data, Products and Tools

The full funding opportunity description and more detailed guidance can be found on the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium website.

Pre-proposals are due February 25, 2011 by 4 p.m. Central Time.

The point of contact for each topic and questions on priorities are:

• Coastal Storms: Tracie Sempier, Coastal Storms Program Outreach Coordinator (tracie.sempier@usm.edu) or 228-818-8829
• Ecosystem Services Valuation: Robert Stickney, Texas Sea Grant Director (stickney@neo.tamu.edu) or 979-845-3902.
• Sea Level Rise Data, Products and Tools: Thomas Ruppert, Florida Sea Grant Legal Specialist (truppert@ufl.edu) or 352-392-5870.

BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Announce Implementation of BP’s $500 Million Independent Research Initiative

HOUSTON – BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance today announced plans for the implementation of BP’s $500 million Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GRI) to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon incident and the potential associated impact on the environment and public health.
On May 24, BP announced the overall research program with the commitment to fund $500 million over a 10-year period for scientific studies. While the details of the full program were being developed, a series of fast-track grants were made to accelerate data acquisition and analysis: Louisiana State University ($5 million), the Northern Gulf Institute ($10 million), the Florida Institute of Oceanography ($10 million), the Alabama Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium ($5 million) and the National Institutes of Health ($10m).

Today’s announcement details the agreement for program implementation for the remaining years of the 10-year program. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance will administer the GRI with the ability to execute contracts and provide the required program management support.
“We are delighted that the Gulf of Mexico Alliance has agreed to participate in the implementation of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative,” said David Rainey, Vice President of Science, Technology, Environment, and Regulatory Affairs, in BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization. “BP is committed to understanding the long-term impacts of the Deepwater Horizon incident on the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico. With this agreement in place we can now move forward to engage the best research scientists in the Gulf Coast, and elsewhere.”

The GRI will be managed by a board comprised of scientists from academic institutions with peer-recognized credentials. BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance will appoint an equal number of research scientists to the board.
The objectives of the research will be to address the following five themes:

1. The physical distribution and ultimate fate of contaminants associated with the Deepwater Horizon incident.
2. The chemical evolution and biological degradation of the contaminants.
3. The environmental effects of the contaminants on Gulf of Mexico ecosystems, and the science of ecosystem recovery.
4. Technology developments for improved detection, characterization, mitigation, and remediation of offshore oil spills.
5. Integration of the previous four themes in the context of human health.

“I am extremely excited that the Gulf of Mexico Alliance has this opportunity to join BP in this ground-breaking research initiative,” said Dr. Bill Walker, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and current Co-Chair of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Management Team. “The Alliance has worked for several years on priority issues such as water quality, habitat conservation, ecosystem integration and coastal community resilience. We believe the fundamental work provided by this research initiative will both inform and help direct work to ensure the viability of the Gulf Coast.”

The independent scientific research will be conducted at academic institutions primarily in the US Gulf Coast states. However, appropriate partnerships with institutions based outside the US Gulf region will be welcome.
Funds will be distributed using the practice of merit review by peer evaluation as described in the 2005 Report of the National Science Board (NSB-05-119).

Individual researchers will comply with professional standards as laid out in the National Academy of Sciences Publication – On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research (2009).

The research will involve sampling, modelling and studies – not acquisition or construction of infrastructure such as ships or laboratories.

All GRI-funded research will be independent of BP, and the results will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals with no requirement for BP approval.

The problem with returning to “normal” is obvious: we’re often returning to the same conditions that put the people and/or property at risk in the first place. While the instinct is deep-set, Sorell argues, we must fight it:

[U]nless continuity has a significant value of its own, the determination to go on exactly as before may have little to be said for it. Emergencies may better be seen as occasions for fresh starts and rethinking. Because they take life and make death vivid for those who survive emergencies, they properly prompt people to appraise lives that are nearly cut short.

Short, and well worth a read.

“On Not Returning to Normal” (via The New York Times)