The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will allocate $54 million across two funding opportunities to remove marine debris across the nation’s coasts and Great Lakes. Projects that receive funding will use large-scale marine debris removal solutions and install, monitor and maintain marine debris interception technologies.
Eligible applicants for both funding opportunities include:
State, local, Tribal and territory governments whose activities affect research or regulation of marine debris.
Federally and non-federally recognized Tribes and Native or Indigenous organizations.
Institutes of higher education.
Nonprofit organizations.
Commercial organizations.
NOAA will provide $47 million through the Marine Debris Program. Projects can receive up to $10 million through the program. To qualify, applicants must submit a Letter of Intent by Sept. 27, 2024. Full proposals are due Jan. 31, 2025. NOAA expects selected projects to begin no sooner than Oct. 1, 2025.
The Marine Debris Program will support projects that address persistent solid debris abandoned in marine environments or the Great Lakes. Marine debris includes derelict vessels, fishing gear and other materials that can’t be collected by hand. Completed projects will improve the resilience of coastal and marine environments.
While removing large-scale debris, projects should prioritize alternative disposal methods when possible, prioritizing environmentally friendly options, such as recycling, reuse, waste-to-energy or other similar methods. Projects should integrate prevention strategies to prevent debris reaccumulation. In addition, NOAA will prioritize applicants that monitor projects for long-term beneficial outcomes for habitats, communities and the economy.
NOAA will distribute $7 million through the Marine Debris Interception Technologies Program. Projects may receive up to $1 million through the program. Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent by Oct. 9, 2024, to qualify. Full proposals are due Feb. 7, 2025. NOAA expects selected projects to begin no sooner than Oct. 1, 2025.
The Marine Debris Interception Technologies Program will support projects that deploy interception technologies in water environments that accumulate trash, plastics and other types of reaccumulating litter. These technologies include storm drain catchments, shoreline removal technologies, booms, skimmers, conveyors with receptacles and floating collection devices designed to capture removable maritime debris.
Applicants should provide a long-term monitoring and maintenance plan for their projects. NOAA will prioritize plans that collect data on captured debris and don’t require additional future federal funding to sustain. Projects should also include a prevention strategy to prevent debris reaccumulation. This includes plans that promote behavior change and awareness efforts through education or outreach plans. Applicants should also include identify and estimate marine debris removal metrics, such as how many pounds of debris the project will remove.
Photo by Dustan Woodhouse on Unsplash
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