Local

NOAA awards nearly $1M for marine debris cleanup

JUNEAU, Alaska — A federal agency is providing nearly $1 million in grants to support marine debris cleanup projects in U.S. coastal regions.

NOAA says in a release that the funding will be used to remove derelict vessels, trash, tires and other debris from coastal waters and shorelines. NOAA says the projects were chosen from among 46 applications requesting a total of nearly $5 million in funding.

Cleanup projects sharing in the $967,000 in approved funding are in Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, New York, North Carolina, Washington state and Puerto Rico.

Applications are due Nov. 1 for the next funding cycle. It is not yet clear how much money will be available for that next round.