Mississippi Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-4) has signed on as one of the first cosponsors of Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s bipartisan legislation to allow the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish National Centers of Excellence at coastal institutions of higher education.
The Coastal Resilience Research and Education Act provides NOAA the authority to designate public universities and colleges as National Centers of Excellence in Coastal Resilience Research and Education. Such a designation recognizes institutions of higher education that exhibit national leadership in research and education focused on climate and coastal adaptation and mitigation, and formalizes collaboration and partnerships with federal agencies. These relationships will ensure science-based research, information, and policy recommendations are effectively shared with the federal government.
“My hope is that introducing this legislation will leverage the coastal research being conducted at universities throughout the United States, including my alma mater, Southern Miss. This bill allows those institutions to be designated as National Centers of Excellence and provide expert advice and guidance for our federal agencies focused on coastal resiliency. It’s important to form these partnerships and utilize existing research that will further our understanding of America’s coastlines,” said Palazzo.
