Projects in Marina del Rey, including the Local Coastal Program (LCP) periodic review response, are among 89 projects in the state that are eligible to apply for grants under the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP), which was recently approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The Coastal Impact Assistance Program is a major step toward providing more than $24.7 million in federal grant money to California and 17 of its coastal counties, Interior Department officials said. The CIAP was created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The approval of California’s plan allows the state to submit grant applications for projects involving conservation, restoration, and protection of natural coastal resources.
“The Interior Department is glad to partner with the State of California and its coastal counties to fund projects that will restore and protect the treasured marine and coastal resources along the Golden State,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said. “Projects outlined in California’s plan will support the management of the state’s coastal environments to ensure that present and future generations will be able to explore these natural wonders for years to come.”
The $24.7 million in California CIAP funds will be divided with 65 percent of the funding ($16 million), going to the State of California and 35 percent ($8.7 million), being divided among 17 coastal counties, according to the Interior Department.
Los Angeles County projects that are able to apply for the federal grants include Water Quality Enhancement Projects at two parking lots in Marina del Rey and the Marina’s LCP periodic review response, according to the California Resources Agency. The LCP establishes and regulates standards for current and future development and consists of two parts, a land use plan and a local implementation program, which are drafted with public input.
The LCP periodic review is estimated to cost about $485,000 and the Department of Regional Planning is seeking $137,177 in CIAP funding over two years, according to a California Resources Agency report. The remainder of the cost is expected to come from county general funds and will be used mostly for staff salaries.
The project qualifies for CIAP funding because the LCP has both a comprehensive planning component and a regulatory program, the resources agency report said. The project contains policies and regulations that assess and protect coastal resources as well as implementation measures that ensure the enforcement of the policies, the report said.
California has joined Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi and Texas as states receiving CIAP funding from the Department of the Interior. Funding is made available to the state and counties when the grants are awarded.