News, Views and Analysis from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments
The Protect and Restore America’s Estuaries Act, a bipartisan bill which would reauthorize the National Estuary Program (NEP), was introduced last week by U.S. Representative Tom Malinowski (D-NJ). Read More
This week celebrates #iheartestuaries, a national media campaign to raise awareness of the essential benefits of the nation’s estuaries, including the San Francisco Estuary. Read More
The latest special issue of ESTUARY News magazine is now available and takes a deep dive into the Resilient by Design Bay Area Challenge, which in May 2017 selected nine high-powered teams from across the globe to come up with innovative design ideas that address sea level rise and resilience to climate change around the region.
Last month, after a year-long process, Resilient by Design shared the final design concepts developed by local residents, community organizations, public officials and local, national, and international experts. These concepts were “meant to inspire, catalyze action, and push us along the path to a more resilient future.”
The June 2018 Issue of ESTUARY News explores each of the individual Bay Area Challenge design concepts in more detail and puts the whole Challenge in wider context, including where we might go from here. Keep reading to find out more! Read More
Last week the Bay Area celebrated a major milestone with the announcement of $17.9 million in funding for the first round of wetland restoration projects supported by the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, the local agency responsible for allocating funds raised by Measure AA.
The measure, which was passed in June 2016 by 70 percent of voters in the nine Bay Area counties, is the first regional parcel tax in California’s history. It is expected to generate $500 million in funds over the next 20 years, or approximately $25 million annually, to fund shoreline and habitat restoration, public access and recreation opportunities, and other amenities across San Francisco Bay.
Keep reading on to find out more about the projects receiving wetlands restoration funding, and to learn more about the work of the San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) – which is hosted by ABAG and staffed by MTC – in protecting and restoring the Bay as well as the rivers and streams that feed it. Read More
Last month Congress approved a $1.3 trillion appropriations bill to fund the government for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. In a departure from previous years, the budget included major boosts in funding for both defense and non-defense discretionary programs and also significantly increased investment in federal housing and transportation programs.
This post will provide summaries of major housing, transportation and other relevant provisions from the final FY 2018 spending bill; a chart comparing FY 2017 and FY 2018 funding levels; and analysis of California and/or Bay Area impacts for select housing and transportation programs. Continue reading on for more details. Read More
In June 2016, Bay Area voters approved a regional parcel tax measure to fund wetlands restoration for the San Francisco Bay. Measure AA, or the San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution Prevention and Habitat Restoration Measure, was the first regional parcel tax measure in California’s history, and passed with 70 percent voter approval throughout the nine-county Bay area. The parcel tax is expected to generate $500 million in funds over the next 20 years for multi-benefit projects that restore habitat, protect shorelines from flooding, provide public access and recreation opportunities, and similar amenities.
The San Francisco Estuary Partnership, a program of ABAG, provides staff support to the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, the regional agency created to allocate Measure AA funds.
Currently, the Estuary Partnership is assisting the Restoration Authority with selection of the first round of projects to receive funds; the selected projects will be announced in April. The Partnership and Authority invite interested members of the public to apply to serve on the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee; applications are due March 30. Read More
The San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) is a collaboration of local, state, and federal agencies, NGOs, academia and business leaders working to protect and restore the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. The Estuary Partnership – which is hosted by ABAG and staffed by MTC – is guided by the development and implementation of the Estuary Blueprint, a comprehensive, collective vision for the Estuary’s future.
The Estuary Partnership has a quarterly newsletter which allows readers to follow progress on implementation of the Blueprint. Of particular note in the latest newsletter is the joint effort between the SFEP and the Water Trail Program at ABAG to publish five maps of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail. Read More