On May 11, 2023, the DOI announced $12 million in investments for climate change planning, mitigation, and adaptation for insular areas, including the American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Section 50241 of the IRA provided $15 million in funding for technical assistance for climate change planning and resiliency in U.S. Insular Areas. DOI announced the investments at its Territorial Climate and Infrastructure Workshop, held in Hawaii.
The investments are meant to provide the U.S. territories climate and infrastructure resilience through ecosystem restoration and coastal resiliency initiatives. The funding awards are:
1) $3 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources for the preparation of a Climate Adaptation Roadmap;
2) $2.8 million to the American Samoa Office of Disaster Assistance and Petroleum Management for updating and collecting data on sea level rise, to ensure information is accurate for all seven islands of the American Samoa;
3) $2,786,004 to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Government for restoration and rehabilitation projects;
4) $2,764,000 to the Government of Guam for flood mitigation and climate projects;
5) $649,996 to the U.S. Geological Survey for a valuation of how potential coral reef restoration could decrease the hazards of erosion and flooding faced by coastal communities in Guam, Saipan, and Tinian in the Mariana Islands, as well as Tutuila, Tau and Ofu-Olosega in American Samoa.