H 5967/S 0035: Establishment of the Ocean State Climate Adaptation and Resilience (OSCAR) Fund

Governor Daniel McKee signed H 5967/S 0035 into law to establish the Ocean State Climate Adaptation and Resilience (OSCAR) Fund. The fund aims to enable cities, towns and the state to apply for grants to fund projects that restore and improve the climate resilience of vulnerable coastal habitats, as well as river and stream floodplains with priority to projects that improve community resilience and public safety.

In 2021, the Rhode Island General Assembly adopted legislation establishing the Ocean State Climate Adaptation and Resilience (OSCAR) Fund as a program to be administered jointly by the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIB), the RI Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC). Rules governing the new program were adopted in 2023. The program provides financial assistance in the form of grants for adaptation and resilience projects that protect or enhance coastal or riverine habitats to address the impacts of climate change. The program is limited to projects on public lands, including lands that provide public access to shorelines and riverbanks. Rules detailing the policies and procedures of the OSCAR fund can be found [here](https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/830-10-35-1).

H 5967/S 0035: Establishment of the Ocean State Climate Adaptation and Resilience (OSCAR) Fund

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