Wildlife Connectivity Gets Historic Funding Influx
Opportunities to expand wildlife infrastructure have never been greater thanks to historic levels of federal funding authorized in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Here is EPIC’s synthesis of the wildlife infrastructure elements the bill includes.
By Leanne Spaulding, Wildlife Connectivity Program Manager
IIJA, which became law in November 2021, infuses billions of dollars into federal grant programs that must be obligated over 5 years to improve wildlife crossing infrastructure, reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, and mitigate habitat fragmentation resulting from transportation infrastructure. The US Department of Transportation, along with the Federal Highway Administration, are tasked with administering these funds mostly through existing programs, either by competitive grant giving or formula-based allocations for states to self-administer. Additionally, these investments are strategically bundled with a number of beneficial updates to program requirements, project eligibility, and some fresh, innovative funding concepts. All of these components aim to ensure an unprecedented number of wildlife crossing projects are funded.
New among these federal funding opportunities is the $350 million Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program. This groundbreaking competitive grant program aims to fund pilot projects that improve habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species while simultaneously reducing wildlife-vehicle collision. Furthermore, the program represents a first in dedicated funding for wildlife crossing infrastructure. The Bridge Investment Program is another new competitive grant program featuring $12.2 billion for bridge construction and reconstruction projects, with a 5% per year funding cap for culvert projects that improve habitat connectivity and mitigate flooding risk. Although not explicitly stated in the recently announced Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost- Saving Transportation (PROTECT) program, eligibility criteria does include projects that increase resiliency of existing infrastructure, including expansions, retrofits, and repairs to culverts and drainage systems. PROTECT is set to deploy $7.3 billion through allocations to states and has strong potential to benefit connections between aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, a wide range of entities are eligible to apply for these programs: State Departments of Transportation (DOT), tribal nations, Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMA), local governments, Regional Transit Authorities (RTA), and municipal planning organizations (MPO).
Equally amazing is that several existing grant programs have been expanded to benefit wildlife connectivity. One program is Surface Transportation Block Grants (STBG), which distributes $72 billion in funding through formula allocations to states (including $7.2 billion for Transportation Alternative Program grants) and recently expanded project eligibility to include wildlife crossings. Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) also now includes wildlife crossings among eligible projects that can compete for its $7.25 billion in competitive grant funding. Additionally, INFRA received an increase to its small project funding cap of 10% to 15%. Increases to funding caps are deeply beneficial to smaller-scale wildlife connectivity projects that would otherwise compete with larger infrastructure projects. Similarly, the Federal Lands Transport Program (FLTP), with $2.2 billion to distribute via formula allocations to states, has received a doubling of its funding cap from $10 million to $20 million per year. This $100 million in federal investment is earmarked solely for projects that mitigate habitat fragmentation and repair ecosystem connectivity, clearing the way for an even greater number of crossing projects to come to fruition.
While these billion dollar investments are a massive victory for wildlife restoration, they are also hugely important for tribal nations and treaty rights. To that end, $1 billion is being invested in the new National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program to reduce structural impediments to aquatic species harmed by poor culvert design. This program expands on culvert removal work started in Washington state following a 2013 federal court injunction to protect anadromous fish populations. Since, Washington DOT has corrected over 100 injunction barrier culverts and improved access to 474 miles of blocked habitat for salmon and steelhead. Overall, the National Culverts program is a significant step by the federal government to replicate Washington State's corrective initiative across the US, protect diverse aquatic habitats, and to hold itself accountable to the Seven Nations Treaty, which guarantees tribal nations unencumbered access to healthy wildlife populations. Notice of funding for this program is out now - deadline for applications to USDOT is February 6, 2023.
EPIC is excited to see these funds spent as quickly as possible but acknowledges the limited capacity of the government to do so. That is why we are proactively coordinating collaborations with foundations, non-profits, tribal nations, and government agencies to identify operational gaps, jumpstart community engagements, streamline application and permitting processes, and to advocate for greater bureaucratic efficiencies at all levels of government. We are also committed to increasing technical support and grant writing resources to tribal nations applying for these funds. Ensuring projects from tribal nations are among the funding project applicants is vital to the success of wildlife connectivity programs and advancing environmental justice.
For a full overview of all wildlife infrastructure funding opportunities included in IIJA, check out this excellent funding guide created by Renee Callahan, Executive Director, at ARC Solutions. Stay abreast of regular updates to ARC Solutions funding guide by emailing info@arc-solutions.org. Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) updates, FAQs, application instructions and further grant details are also available on the Federal Highway Administration’s funding page.