Senator Jack Reed Announces $11.5 Million for Rhode Island's Regional Environment

Grant Announcement Event for Public & Press Thursday, Sept. 5, 11 a.m., East Side of Providence

Event Details: 11 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, 2 River Drive, Providence, RI, 02906 (in the meadow across the street from the Narragansett Boat Club, overlooking the Seekonk River). The event is free and open to the public and press, and will be held rain or shine. Park along River Drive.

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Sept. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Southeast New England Program (SNEP), funded by Congress and managed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), works to restore clean water, healthy ecosystems, and sustainable communities in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. On Thursday, Sept. 5, U.S. Senator Jack Reed will join federal, state and local partners to announce $11.5 million in grants and technical assistance for local organizations working on high-priority environmental projects throughout the region.

The funding to be announced includes $1.5 million in grants to seven Rhode Island organizations through SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants (SWIG), managed by Restore America's Estuaries (RAE).

At the event, EPA will also announce $8.75 million in new funding for technical assistance to help communities working on clean water and healthy ecosystems. The assistance will be provided over the next five years through the SNEP Network, managed by the New England Environmental Finance Center at the University of Southern Maine, part of the University of Maine system. 

The grant announcement event will begin at 11 a.m  and will be hosted by Mayor Brett P. Smiley of Providence. In addition to Senator Reed and Mayor Smiley, the speaking program will include:

• U.S. Representative Gabe Amo
• Councilwoman Helen Anthony, Ward 2, Providence
• Kim Korioth, Chief Resilience Officer, State of Rhode Island
• Karen McGuire, Deputy Regional Administrator, EPA New England
• Martha Sheils, Director, New England Environmental Finance Center / SNEP Network
• Tom Ardito, Director, SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants, Restore America's Estuaries

To conclude the speaking program, Tom Ardito will introduce the seven Rhode Island grantees who will be available to discuss their restoration projects.

At noon, following the event, the City of Providence and Blackstone Parks Conservancy will lead a walking tour of nearby York Pond, a small coastal pond which has been degraded by runoff from its urban watershed. One of the grants to be announced is providing $282,000 to the Conservancy and partners to construct and plant a stormwater control project in Blackstone Park, a first step toward reducing runoff to the Pond. As York Pond flows into the Seekonk River and Narragansett Bay, this project will benefit communities throughout Rhode Island and beyond.

The work in Providence is just one example of SNEP's support for clean water, healthy ecosystems, and thriving communities throughout Southeast New England. Since 2012, SNEP has provided $67 million in funding and technical assistance to help municipalities, non-profit organizations, state and tribal governments, and other organizations accomplish these goals. By funding partnerships, promoting information-sharing, and helping to develop new technologies, SNEP is building capacity for better management of the regional environment while providing on-the-ground benefits for communities and ecosystems. A significant portion of SNEP resources is dedicated toward environmental justice communities throughout the region.

"I helped create the Southeast New England Program to strengthen our ecosystems by bringing people together across communities to develop a strategic, informed approach to protecting and improving the health of Narragansett Bay and our entire coastal watershed," said Senator Jack Reed. "The SNEP awards we are celebrating today will advance several key projects that will enhance water quality and improve the overall health and well-being of our communities, waterways, and estuaries." 

"EPA New England is thrilled to help announce this year's grant awards under the Southeast New England Program (SNEP). Through its partners Restore America's Estuaries and the Environmental Finance Center of the University of Southern Maine, SNEP has worked closely with local communities to improve water quality and restore coastal habitats in Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts." said EPA New England Deputy Regional Administrator Karen McGuire. "Thanks to support from Senator Reed and his Congressional colleagues since 2014, this beautiful landscape of coasts and communities has benefitted from millions of dollars in funding for projects and technical assistance. Today's award enables the great work of restoration and protection to continue."

"These grants will result in big benefits across Rhode Island," said Terry Gray, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. "The projects that are being funded will improve water quality, support important habitat, and help combat the threats from stormwater pollution and the impacts from climate change.  These projects also show a great diversity in investments across the state on both the types of projects being supported and the communities where they are located.  We look forward to working with the SNEP team and all the applicants as this work goes forward."  

"The funding from these grants will help protect our waterways, improve stormwater management infrastructure and further our efforts to build a more climate resilient city," said Mayor Brett P. Smiley. "Thanks to Senator Reed's continued leadership and advocacy on behalf of Providence, we are creating a healthier, more sustainable future for generations to come. I am looking forward to collaborating with the team at SNEP to advance these important projects and improve the health and well-being of our entire community."

The event is free and open to the public and press, and will include photo, video and interview opportunities. Grantees will be available to discuss their projects following the speaking portion of the event.

Massachusetts Event: A companion event to introduce Massachusetts grantees and funding will be held in Yarmouth, MA on October 4. See www.snepgrants.org for details.

2024 SNEP Grant Recipients

The recipients of the 2024 SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants were selected through a competitive process from among $9 million in requests. The 12 projects to be funded are:

Rhode Island Grants

Trout Unlimited / RI Dept. of Environmental Management | Breakheart Pond Dam Removal Engineering (Arcadia Management Area, Richmond, RI) | $190,000

Groundwork Rhode Island / Blackstone Park Conservancy / City of Providence | Stormwater Management in York Pond Watershed | $282,288

Town of Coventry | Upper Dam Pond Restoration | $87,568

Town of South Kingstown | Green Hill Pond Water Quality Improvements | $250,000

Pawtuxet River Authority | Fish Passage Engineering at Pontiac Dam (Cranston) | $150,000

Town of Smithfield | Esmond Village Natural Infrastructure Park | $346,522

City of Cranston | Natural Solutions for Flood Mitigation, Fenner Pond Watershed | $192,500

Massachusetts Grants

Nantucket Conservation Foundation | Windswept Bog Wetland Restoration| $200,000

Buzzards Bay Coalition | Remediating Stormwater Pollution at Buttonwood Park Zoo (New Bedford) | $362,838

Town of Yarmouth | Chase Brook Park Coastal Restoration | $434,230

Barnstable Clean Water Coalition | Marston's Mills Cranberry Bog Restoration | $200,000

Interstate Grant

New England Water Pollution Control Comm. | Community-Based Habitat Restoration: Water Chestnut Management in Blackstone & Ten Mile Watersheds, Phase 2 | $100,000

For more on EPA's Southeast New England Program, see www.epa.gov/snep

For more about SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants, see www.snepgrants.org

For more on the SNEP Network, see www.snepnetwork.org

SOURCE Restore America's Estuaries