The BoatUS Foundation has been awarded a $10 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Removal Program.
The grant was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and is part of NOAA’s larger mission to address marine debris, including derelict boats, abandoned fishing gear and plastics.
“This is a coordinated, once-in-lifetime investment to remove abandoned and derelict vessels, and we’re proud to help NOAA carry out this important mission to rid our shores of marine debris,” BoatUS Foundation president Chris Edmonston said in a statement. “Our goal over the next four years is to focus on the immediate issue — the substantial number of ADVs that need removal.
“In the future, we hope to expand the program to inland freshwater lakes and waterways, and reach a point where ADV removals diminish as educational and preventive efforts have greater impact,” he added. “It’s much more cost-effective to stop it before it happens.”
The grant directs the Annapolis, Md.-based BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water to “improve U.S. coastal and marine waters affected by abandoned and derelict vessels by facilitating removal and prevention activities across the country.”
Under the guidelines, any public or private organization will be able to apply for ADV removal funds.
“This grant … underscores NOAA’s commitment to combat marine debris and its negative impact on the communities and economies that depend on clean, healthy waterways,” Nicole LeBoeuf, assistant administrator of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, said in the statement.
BoatUS plans to announce the opening of grant applications in early 2024.
More information about the program is available here.
