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Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP)
In 2002, TPL worked with Congress to create the "Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program" (CELCP). This program essentially funds pass-through grants to states and local governments for land acquisition in a state's coastal zone. Statutory language creating this program can be viewed on page 30 of Public Law 107-77. CELCP provides grants to states or local units of government in order to "protect those coastal and estuarine areas with significant conservation, recreation, ecological, historical or aesthetic values, or those that are threatened by conversion from their natural state to other uses." CELCP is administered through NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) which is a sub-agency of the Commerce Department.
CELCP grants are available to non-federal government agencies only. Easements must be also be held by a non-federal government agency. The program requires a 1:1 non-federal match, which can be in many forms, including site restoration, land value donation, and other acquisitions. If other acquisitions are used as match, NOAA's boilerplate deed language that must be put on the subject property, must also be put on the match property. Additionally, other acquisitions used as match must somehow be related to the subject property either in proximity, resource protection or implementation of some type of restoration/acquisition plan.
