NOAA Awards over $2.7 Million to the Maine State Planning Office

NOAA AWARDS OVER $2.7 MILLION TO THE
MAINE STATE PLANNING OFFICE

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today announced a grant of $2,710,000 to the Maine State Planning Office for coastal zone management. NOAA is an agency of the Commerce Department.

This grant will provide funding to the Maine State Planning Office for continuing implementation of the state’s federally approved coastal zone management program. The coastal program is a partnership among local, regional, and state agencies, which undertakes or supports projects that promote sustainable economical development, encourage environmental stewardship and education, conserve and manage marine fisheries, reduce coastal hazards and improve public access.

“We are constantly working to improve the understanding of our environment and to strengthen local initiatives like Maine’s Coastal Program,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “These grants allow the states to manage their coastal resources while actively supporting efforts that reinforce NOAA’s and the Bush Administration’s commitment to the environment.”

NOAA’s Coastal Management Program is a federal-state partnership dedicated to comprehensive management of the nation’s coastal resources, ensuring their protection for future generations, while balancing competing national economic, cultural and environmental interests. The Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP) is authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 and administered at the federal level by the Coastal Programs Division (CPD) within NOAA.

In fiscal year 2003, NOAA has awarded more than 475 grants totaling more than $204 million to members of the academic, scientific and business communities to assist the agency in fulfilling its mission to study the Earth’s natural systems in order to predict environmental change, manage ocean resources, protect life and property, and provide decision makers with reliable scientific information. NOAA goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 33 years.

The Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.