H.R. 3541 would authorize the appropriation of whatever amounts are necessary for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide grants to coastal states participating in the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) program to develop and implement plans to adapt to climate change. In 2019, 34 coastal states participated in the program and NOAA allocated $119 million to the program for grants, technical assistance, and administrative costs.
Because climate resilience is a focus of the CZM program under current law, CBO expects that grants provided under H.R. 3541 would be used to supplement funding provided under the current CZM program for developing the climate resiliency of coastal infrastructure and habitats. CBO also expects that states’ participation in the grant programs under H.R. 3541 would be proportionate to their participation in the current CZM program. On that basis, CBO estimates that the additional planning activities called for under the bill would increase the size of the CZM program by around 25 percent.
Using information on the funding provided to the CZM program in 2019 and accounting for anticipated inflation, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $114 million over the 2020-2024 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall into budget function 300 (natural resources and environment).
