Bonefish & Tarpon Trust today applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill that includes robust funding for coastal resilience and water quality improvement projects. The legislation, which recently passed the Senate, now goes to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
“Enactment of this legislation proves once again that there is bipartisan support for the type of projects that are critical to BTT’s mission of conserving bonefish, tarpon and permit as well as to the broader near-shore marine environment,” said Jim McDuffie, BTT President and CEO. “BTT looks forward to playing an active role in ensuring that funding from the infrastructure bill is utilized to advance science-based approaches to restoring and conserving coastal resources for the benefit of our fisheries and those who rely on them.”
BTT worked with Congress and other partners to secure funding for a number of priority programs that will support on the ground projects directly benefitting bonefish, permit and tarpon habitat including $494 million for NOAA’s National Coastal Resilience Fund; $491 million for NOAA to provide funding for restoring marine, estuarine, coastal, or Great Lakes ecosystem habitat; and $1.9 billion for Army Corps of Engineer aquatic ecosystem restoration projects.
