Federal funding for Delaware environmental programs has been secured through two appropriations bills passed in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Chris Coons serves on the Senate committee – the first Delaware senator to sit on that committee in over 40 years. There is funding through NOAA that includes $80-million for Coastal Management Grants, $30-million for the new Title IX Oceans Fund as well as $37.5-million in other funding. There is also $71-million for NOAA’s Sea Grant College Program – UD’s Lewes campus is a member. Senator Coons also secured funding for programs at the Department of the Interior – including $4-million for the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program. These are funds for programs that keep our oceans and local ecosystems clean and safe.
