Port of Galilee & State Marine Facilities Awarded over $15M to Strengthen Climate Resilience

Published on Monday, November 25, 2024

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA), and the Congressional Delegation announces that Rhode Island has received a $15.5M Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program award – the largest grant ever received by the state through the program – matched with state funds,to improve resilience to the increasing impacts of climate change. These funds will be used for a $17.2M project to elevate structures at the Port of Galilee in Narragansett and Wickford Dock. Additionally, a total of eight docks will be replaced at three DEM marine facilities – Galilee, DEM’s Division of Marine Fisheries’ Jerusalem facility, and DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement’s Wickford Marine Base. 

Climate change is causing extreme weather, inland and coastal flooding, and sea level rise, with scientific modeling predicting that these impacts will accelerate. Galilee is one of the largest ports on the East Coast, the 13th highest value fishing port in the country according to NOAA, and the 4th highest value fishing port on the East Coast. The grant will fund design strategies and marine construction projects to reduce hazards and improve operations at these facilities vital for public safety, commercial fishing, emergency response, and marine resource monitoring.  

“Rhode Island’s ports and critical coastal infrastructure are increasingly threatened by sea level rise and storm surge,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. “This new federal funding will allow DEM to replace several docks at three key marine facilities to better protect our fishermen and surrounding businesses from the impacts of climate change. I am pleased to net another $15.5 million in federal funding to address the state’s needs and pay for 90 percent of the cost of this project, which will elevate key structures and make our working waterfronts more resilient to withstand future storms.”

“Commercial ports and the fishing industry that relies on them are among the Ocean State’s most important economic assets.  Our delegation has worked closely with the state to deliver funding and keep Galilee’s port infrastructure resilient as climate change accelerates,” said Senator Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “This newest project builds on previous federal investments the delegation secured to replace and upgrade fishing ports around the state so that hardworking Rhode Island fishermen can continue the work they’ve done for generations.”

“The men and women who make their living in Rhode Island’s fishing industry deserve high quality port infrastructure to protect their jobs and livelihoods,” said Congressman Seth Magaziner. “I am proud that Rhode Island is receiving nearly $15.5 million of federal funding — the largest amount ever received in our state’s history through this program — to raise dock structures at the Port of Galilee and Wickford Dock, which will help thousands of working people in the face of increasingly extreme weather and rising sea levels.”

“Rhode Island is on the front lines of the climate crisis, and it compels us to act,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “This record-breaking $15.5 million federal grant will help strengthen the Port of Galilee and state marine facilities’ resilience to climate change. I thank my colleagues and our local partners for their work to bring home these important resources to support our hazard mitigation efforts.”

"This federal grant allows Rhode Island to continue advancing its leadership on climate change resiliency,” said Governor Dan McKee. “The projects made possible through this funding will help protect the Ocean State’s critical coastal infrastructure, marine facilities, and working waterfronts from the increasing impacts of climate change.”

"I am deeply proud and grateful to our federal partners, as well as to RIEMA's Planning and Hazard Mitigation team, for their tireless dedication in securing this vital funding for DEM," said RIEMA Director Marc Pappas. "This grant, the largest ever awarded to Rhode Island through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, will fund essential improvements to marine facilities and infrastructure along our coastline. Rhode Island's shoreline is a cornerstone of our vibrant fishing industry and a key economic driver for tourism in the state. This funding and the projects it supports will enhance the resilience of our coastal infrastructure, protecting it from the increasingly severe impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. The diligent efforts invested over the past two years in securing this funding will play a critical role in safeguarding the long-term sustainability of our shoreline and the infrastructure that sustains it."

"DEM is grateful to our federal partners and RIEMA for helping secure this needed funding to ensure our marine facilities support a robust fishing industry as Rhode Island’s coastal communities increasingly contend with flooding and erosion due to the impacts of climate change," said DEM Director Terry Gray. “Raising dock structures will help protect them from the climate impacts of sea level rise and extreme storm events. I am extremely proud of the DEM and RIEMA teams who worked closely together on this grant application. This was a new process for many of them, and they worked through it diligently and patiently over the past two years to deliver this funding to Rhode Island.”

In addition to the hazard mitigation grant, substantial investments already underway at Galilee include $5.2M in improvement projects and $46M in capital funding investments. These key investments in maintaining and upgrading critical infrastructure will ensure that Rhode Island’s state-managed piers remain economic powerhouses and working waterfronts for RI’s commercial fishing industry. 

Rhode Island’s commercial fishing industry is robust and there is heavy demand for berthing space at these locations. During construction, DEM staff will relocate any vessels currently berthed or utilizing these docks to temporary alternate locations. The commercial fishing industry is integral to Rhode Island’s economy – the overall ex-vessel value of landings in 2023 in RI was $81.7 million. The Port of Galilee is home to much of the Ocean State's diverse commercial fisheries and interdependent businesses, serving as a critical working port for its 200 commercial fishermen, the businesses that support them, and their families. The fishing and seafood sector is a vital catalyst for Rhode Island’s economy with an economic impact of nearly 9,342 jobs and $872 million in 2022 according to NOAA Fisheries.  

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