Monmouth Times

Washington, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) on June 6 announced the James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory at Sandy Hook will receive $5 million from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to make critical upgrades to the facility’s saltwater intake system. The system currently suffers from deferred maintenance that threatens the facility’s core research mission. The funding comes from $150 million in the Inflation Reduction Act for upgrades to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) facilities and infrastructure and is the result of Pallone’s successful campaign to use IRA funding to preserve the lab’s research.

The funding is in addition to a $2.6 billion nationwide effort NOAA announced this week to bolster coastal resilience through competitive grant programs, upgrades to research infrastructure, and building a climate-ready workforce. The grant programs will invest $575 million in collaborative regional projects for coastal resilience that are modeled on Pallone’s Living Shorelines Act. Living shorelines projects support natural infrastructure projects that build coastal flood resilience, restore marine habitats, and sustainably manage coastal areas.

“New Jersey is on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and this funding delivers the resources our coastal communities need to strengthen their resilience against the effects of stronger storms and rising sea levels. Scientists at the Howard Lab develop cutting-edge research that’s critical to our ability to formulate local, national, and international fisheries, marine, and coastal policy. The lab needs properly functioning facilities to carry out their mission, which helps protect coastal communities from the growing effects of the climate crisis,” said Pallone. “With this funding, the lab will be able to expand its research and make important upgrades to the facility. I’m pleased to see the Inflation Reduction Act is working to strengthen coastal resilience right here in New Jersey and want to thank all the scientists at the lab whose research helps our understanding of marine habitats right here in New Jersey.”

Pallone also led a years-long effort to formally transfer ownership of the lab to the federal government, which had been operating the lab under a lease agreement with the state. The transfer required an act of Congress Pallone spearheaded and was formally implemented this year. As a result of the successful transition, the lab is again eligible to receive critical federal investments. 

In April, Pallone applauded the first tranche of funding New Jersey received from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. The state received $5.2 million for living shorelines projects as well as marine debris and microplastics work, which can harm marine life like whales.

Original source can be found here