Communities First Resource Bank

This resource bank is intended to connect frontline community groups, nonprofits, policymakers, and businesses to materials relevant to accessing federal infrastructure funding. It comprises toolkits, networks, technical assistance, and links to relevant funding resources that center community. There is currently a vast amount of information available to meet this once-in-a-generation moment. Partners in the Communities First Infrastructure Alliance compiled this evolving list of go-to resources to help communities sift through some of that information. Below, we offer a set of buckets to help you navigate through the page. For questions and suggestions please contact justyn@numo.global.

+ Community Resources+ Community & Family Savings Opportunities+ Technical Assistance + Federal Funding Programs+ Toolkits for Nonprofits, Policymakers, and Industry + Data & Mapping Tools

Community Resources

General

The Highline Network's Community First Toolkit
This toolkit is designed to help park organizations address inequities caused by infrastructural racism, and shape public spaces that bring social, environmental, and economic benefits to our communities. Source: Highline Network.

Energy

Rural Electric Cooperative Toolkit
A toolkit of resources - including organizing strategy, theory of change, opportunities, and member-owner engagement - as related to rural electric co-operatives. Source: New Economy Coalition.

Clean Energy for Low-Income Communities Accelerator (CELICA) Toolkit
This toolkit provides an overview of tools, resources, and models for developing low-income energy efficiency and renewable energy programs based on work in the U.S. Department of Energy’s CELICA, part of the Better Buildings Initiative Accelerators. This toolkit provides materials to help program administrators reduce energy burden for low-income communities by enhancing and expanding upon work funded through utility, state, or federal programs. Source: Department of Energy.

Energy Equity Action Planner Decision-making framework and guide for regional stakeholders. Source: Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance.

National Community Solar Partnership
The National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) is a coalition of community solar stakeholders working to expand access to affordable community solar to every American household and enable communities to realize other benefits, such as increased resilience and workforce development. Source: Department of Energy.

Solar Energy Innovation Network
The Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN) helps communities develop transformative approaches to adopting solar energy. Teams develop their ideas in real-world contexts, yielding results that can unlock tomorrow's solar markets. Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) Toolkit
The Office of Minority Business and Economic Development understands the benefits of CBAs and therefore created its Community Benefit Agreement Toolkit. It contains a comprehensive Guide, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and PowerPoint Presentation. Together, or separate, these components give stakeholders a solid understanding of CBAs, their benefits, and the collective action process that brings them to fruition. Source: Department of Energy.

Equitable Building Electrification: A Framework for Powering Resilient Communities
This five-step framework presents a start-to-finish recipe for how the current goals of building electrification can be aligned with producing healthy homes, creating high quality, local jobs that cannot be outsourced, and establishing stronger connections between everyday residents and our climate change policies and goals. Source: The Greenlining Institute.

Housing

Housing Justice Narrative Toolkit The Housing Justice Narrative Toolkit offers a scaffolding for us to stay centered in the future we are reimagining. It supports our ability to speak to a base of individuals most aligned with housing justice—the anti-racist and persuadable base—in ways which are authentic and that they can hear. This toolkit grounds the core truth of housing justice. It guards against the distraction of the opposition by offering opportunities for us to avoid the pitfalls of repeating the same stories we have been told, or that we continue to tell, that haven’t moved us towards housing for all. Source: PolicyLink

Transportation

Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Rural Electric Mobility Infrastructure
This toolkit is meant to be a one-stop resource to help rural communities scope, plan, and identify ways to fund EV-charging infrastructure. A rural organization or individual—such as a property owner, business, town, Tribe, or planning or transit agency—can use the toolkit to identify key partners for a project, take advantage of relevant planning tools, and identify available funding or financing to help make that project a reality. Source: Department of Transportation.

Mobility Equity Framework
An equitable, community-centered transportation planning and decision making tool, based on a participatory budgeting approach. Source: The Greenlining Institute.

Justice40

Justice40 Resources
This evolving resource page is managed by the Justice40 Accelerator and is intended to unlock resources for environmental and climate justice organizations serving Black and historically disinvested communities to accelerate their brilliant community-led solutions. Here, we offer a steady flow of public Justice40-related funding opportunities, data, and resources and will update it over time. Source: Justice40 Accelerator.

The People's Justice40+ Community Benefit Playbook
This playbook offers frontline groups and community organizations guidance for developing a People’s Justice40+ Community Benefit Plan (CBP). The goal is to ensure that federal infrastructure and climate investments significantly benefit the communities that need them most. Emerald Cities Collaborative.

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Community & Family Savings Opportunities

Energy

Cleanenergy.gov Resources to learn more on how you or your family can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles and energy-saving appliances, and access the economic opportunities of the clean energy future. Source: The White House.

Energy Savings Hub
Access resources made possible by President Biden’s Investing in America plan, which will help lower your energy costs, make your home safer and more comfortable, and help the planet. Source: Department of Energy.

Inflation Reduction Act Savings Calculator Savings calculator determining how much money you can get with the Inflation Reduction Act. Source: Rewiring America.

Clean Energy Incentives - The IRA
A compilation of "need-to-knows" categorized by - information for residents, businesses, tax-exempt entities, and general guidance. Source: Clean Energy Resource Teams.

Solar Energy Resources
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) has developed online resources to help those who want to go solar or who work with solar energy. From someone who’s looking to add solar to their roof, to someone whose job requires them to understand solar, the web resources in this section will help everyone understand solar energy. Explore the pages below to learn more.
Source: Department of Energy.

Federal Income Tax Credits and Incentives for Energy Efficiency
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides federal tax credits and deductions that empower Americans to make homes and buildings more energy-efficient to help reduce energy costs while reducing demand as we transition to cleaner energy sources. Source: Energy Star.

Directory of Energy Efficiency Programs Leveraging ENERGY STAR
Utilities and statewide program sponsors across the country are incorporating benchmarking and other ENERGY STAR tools and resources into their energy efficiency programs. This document identifies programs sponsors and how they are helping customers to improve energy performance of commercial buildings using ENERGY STAR. Source: Energy Star.

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency
Find policies and incentives by geography. Source: NC Clean Energy Technology Center.

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Technical Assistance

General

Federal Access Center
Provides grants and technical assistance to remove barriers communities face applying to federal funding, and engage government agencies to make funding programs more accessible and equitable. Source: Just Transition Fund.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Technical Assistance Guide
The Biden Administration has put together this technical assistance guide to help make it easier for communities across the country to navigate, access, and deploy infrastructure funding that will build a better America. Source: The White House.

Local Infrastructure Hub
The Hub helps local leaders navigate and understand the large quantities of information from the federal government on the nearly 400 funding opportunities available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. And it will help cities and towns develop competitive funding applications that are most likely to be awarded federal grants. There will be a special focus on helping traditionally underserved cities and towns. Source: Bloomberg Philanthropies & Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation.

Climate Program Portal
The Climate Program Portal is a resource for organizations and public agencies tracking federal investments, technical assistance, and outcomes of climate initiatives from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Source: Atlas Public Policy.

Climate Solutions by State Map
This map compiles EESI resources—including articles, briefings, podcasts, and white papers—by state. Source: Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

Economic Development Directory
A directory of economic development resources by state. Source: Economic Development Administration.

Energy

Technical Assistance - Tribal Landing Page
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy provides federally recognized Indian tribes, including Alaska Native villages, tribal energy development organizations, and other organized tribal groups and communities, with technical assistance to advance tribal energy projects. Source: Department of Energy.

Technical Assistance - Landing Page
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy offers a wide variety of technical assistance supporting energy efficiency and renewable energy. This technical assistance can include direct advice on issues or goals, tools and maps, and training. Source: Department of Energy.

Housing

Building Energy Codes Program - Technical Assistance The Building Energy Codes Program (BECP), offers a comprehensive collection of information, resources, and technical assistance designed to answer questions and address issues related to energy codes. Source: Department of Energy.

Thriving Communities Technical Assistance HUD’s Thriving Communities Technical Assistance (TCTA) program will help local governments ensure housing needs are considered as part of their larger infrastructure investment plans while also supporting equitable development in disadvantaged communities. Source: Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Request Technical Assistance HUD's technical assistance (TA) is designed to provide resources, tools, and support for recipients of HUD funding, such as state and local government grantees, public housing authorities, tribes and tribally-designated housing entities, Continuums of Care, and nonprofits. Source: HUD Exchange.

Transportation

Technical Assistance Landing Page
The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Joint Office) provides technical assistance on planning and implementation of a national network of electric vehicle chargers and zero-emission fueling infrastructure as well as zero-emission transit and school buses. Source: Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.

Design Recommendations for Accessible Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
The U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency that issues accessibility guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other laws, is providing a technical assistance document to assist in the design and construction of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. Source: U.S. Access Board.

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Federal Funding Programs

General

Grants.gov
Learn about current federal grant opportunities. Source: The White House.

Energy

Open Funding Opportunities - Clean Energy
Find Inflation Reduction Act funding opportunities that are open for application for state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments; nonprofit organizations; agricultural producers; manufacturers; and more. Source: The White House.

Clean Energy Infrastructure Program and Funding Announcements
A summary of DOE's clean energy infrastructure programing and funding announcements - to help to achieve carbon-free electricity in the U.S. by 2035 and a net-zero economy by 2050. Source: Department of Energy.

Environmental Justice at the Department of Energy
Curation of funding opportunities and new initiatives as related to energy justice. Source: Harvard Law School - Environmental & Energy Law Program.

Housing

Better Buildings - Funding and Incentives Resource Hub Looking to implement energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy and decarbonization projects, or other sustainability initiatives? The Funding and Incentives Resource Hub can help you navigate and discover the many rebates, funding opportunities, and other incentives including those available through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Source: Department of Energy.

Funding Opportunities HUD awards discretionary funding through over 20 Grant programs that support HUD initiatives, including Affordable Housing Development and Preservation, Community and Economic Development, Environment and Energy, Fair Housing, Homelessness, Homeownership, Rental Assistance, Supportive Housing and Services. Source: Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Transportation

Department of Transportation Funding Opportunities through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Find funding opportunities, grant list, DOT navigator, additional resources, and BIL-funded infrastructure projects. Source: Department of Transportation.

Limited English Proficiency Guidance
In accordance with the Executive Order, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued Policy Guidance Concerning Recipient's Responsibilities to Limited English Proficient (LEP) Persons, which is modeled after DOJ’s guidance. Source: Department of Transportation.

Federal Transportation Funding for Trails, Walking and Biking
RTC’s federal funding resources offer the latest information about potential federal funding opportunities for trails and active transportation, as well as tools to help communities successfully apply for grants or navigate reimbursement programs. Source: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Transportation Webinars - Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Recorded topical webinars. Source: Department of Transportation.

Justice40

Justice40
An overview of the Justice40 Initiative. Source: The White House.

Opportunities Researched by Justice40 Accelerator
Featured funding opportunities. Source: Justice40 Accelerator.

Equitable & Just National Climate Platform Funding Finder
The Justice40 Initiative is designed to implement President Joe Biden’s historic commitment to deliver at least 40 percent of federal climate and infrastructure investment benefits to disadvantaged communities. Source: Equitable & Just National Climate Platform.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law & Inflation Reduction Act

Just Solutions Collective: Analysis of the Inflation Reduction Act
Supporters of the IRA have claimed that the law provides $60 billion in environmental justice funding, without demonstrating how this number was calculated. A section-by-section analysis of the IRA's text, adding up appropriations and other spending tailored towards environmental justice communities and low-income residents, arrives at a total of $40 billion, or $27 billion in appropriations only. Source: Just Solutions Collective.

Open Funding Opportunities - Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Highlights funding opportunities that communities can apply for today, along with a calendar for funding opportunities across 2023. The list includes information on the program, the deadline for applying, and a link to the application, where applicable. Source: The White House.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook
This guidebook is a roadmap to the funding available under the law, as well as an explanatory document that shows, in as much detail as currently available, program-by-program information. Source: The White House.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - Rural Playbook
This playbook is intended to help rural communities understand the available funding for infrastructure provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other sources – offering information on the “what, where, and how” to apply for federal infrastructure dollars. Source: The White House.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - Tribal Playbook
To help Tribal applicants navigate the full range of funds both available to Tribal Nations and set aside for their communities, this playbook provides an overview of the “what, when, where, and how” to apply for funds. Source: The White House.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - State Fact Sheets
State-by-state fact sheets which provide more detailed information about announced funding and projects in each state, along with anticipated funding by category over the next 5 years. Source: The White House.

Equitable Workforce Development for Infrastructure Jobs
This guide provides an overview of federal funding resources to support equitable workforce development including funding included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and key federal funding sources outside of law to support workforce development. Source: The White House.

Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook This guidebook provides an overview of the clean energy, climate mitigation and resilience, agriculture, and conservation-related investment programs in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, including who is eligible to apply for funding and for what activities. Source: The White House.

Inflation Reduction Act Tribal Guidebook
Guidebook to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Clean Energy and Climate Investments in Indian Country, which provides clear descriptions of the law’s tax incentives and funding programs for which Tribes are eligible. Source: The White House.

EPA Funding Announcements from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act An overview of current and upcoming funding opportunities from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. Source: Environmental Protection Agency.

A User Guide to the Inflation Reduction Act An overview of summary and key provisions within the IRA. Source: BlueGreen Alliance.

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Toolkits for Nonprofits, Policymakers, and Industry

Energy

U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit - Energy The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit is a website designed to help people find and use tools, information, and subject matter expertise to build climate resilience. The Toolkit offers information from all across the U.S. federal government in one easy-to-use location. Source: United States Global Change Research Program - NOAA.

Asset Score/Audit Template
Asset Score is a national standardized tool that may be used to assess the physical and structural energy efficiency and identify retrofit potentials of commercial buildings using whole-building simulation. Source: Department of Energy.

Energy Equity Project Report Guiding principles for recognition, procedural, distributional and restorative dimensions of energy equity. Source: University of Michigan - School for Environment and Sustainability.

Justice in 100 Scorecard What can we do to advance equity and justice in our work? The Justice in 100 Scorecard answers this question specifically in the context of renewable energy standards, a policy framework now central to the transition to renewable energy. We offer this scorecard to evaluate equity in state and territory 100% laws. Source: Initiative for Energy Justice.

Beneficial Electrification Toolkit The Beneficial Electrification Toolkit is a free resource to help utilities and stakeholders turn a general interest in beneficial electrification into a concrete program. Source: Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

Energy Justice Dashboard (BETA)
The Energy Justice Dashboard (BETA) is a pilot data visualization tool that displays DOE-specific investments in communities across the country experiencing disproportionately high and adverse economic, human health, climate-related, environmental, and other cumulative impacts. The Dashboard displays DOE cost data — grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts — from more than twenty-five DOE program offices, for the fiscal years 2019 to present. Source: Department of Energy.

Housing

Better Buildings Residential Program Guide The Better Buildings Residential Program Guide is a repository for lessons learned, resources, and knowledge from program administrators and industry experts across the country. Click on the links below for more information to help plan, operate, and evaluate residential energy efficiency programs. Source: Department of Energy.

Transportation

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program - Recommendations for State EV Infrastructure Deployment Plans
Key resources and recommendations for state DOTs and National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure State Plans. Source: BlueGreen Alliance.

Achieving Resilient Mobility
This white paper recommends a set of guiding principles to advance equitable and resilient mobility efforts that can help build community resilience to climate change impacts. Source: The Greenlining Institute.

Clean Mobility Equity: A Playbook
An equity evaluation of 12 clean mobility equity projects, which includes best practices, challenges, lessons learned, and a detailed qualitative equity evaluation methodology. Source: The Greenlining Institute.

Ingredients for Equitable Electrification
The Greenlining Institute, in partnership with Towards Equitable Electric Mobility (TEEM), analyzed electric vehicle rebate programs across the country on measures of equity such as income cap, upfront cost, and accessibility in order to offer examples of how rebate programs should prioritize the specific needs of these communities. Source: The Greenlining Institute.

Climate Resilience & Adaptation

Making Equity Real in Climate Adaptation and Community Resilience Policies and Programs: A Guidebook This Guidebook offers policymakers a blueprint on how to operationalize equity in policies and grant programs. Source: The Greenlining Institute.

Inflation Reduction Act

How states and cities can benefit from climate investments in the Inflation Reduction Act Summary brief of relevant programs, funding amounts, and cost-sharing requirements to support city and other local governments to navigate these opportunities. Source: The C40 Knowledge Hub.

Labor Protections Guidance - Inflation Reduction Act Treasury Department's initial guidance on the Inflation Reduction Act’s strong labor standards that firms must meet to qualify for enhanced clean energy and climate tax incentives. Source: Department of Treasury.

Workforce

The Good Jobs Initiative
The Good Jobs Initiative, led by the Department of Labor, is focused on providing critical information to workers, employers, and government as they work to improve job quality and create access to good jobs free from discrimination and harassment for all working people. Source: Department of Labor.

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Data & Mapping Tools

General

Build.gov
Landing page for information related to major infrastructure projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Source: The White House.

Invest.gov
Interactive map showing the historic public and private sector investments President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is bringing to states and territories across America. Source: The White House.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Maps
Updated map reflecting the more than 20,000 projects and funding announced in communities across the United States. Source: The White House.

Biden Administration Investment Tracker
This tool finds and tracks the public and private sector investments generated or supported by three of the Biden administration’s economic laws. Source: Center for American Progress.

Environmental Justice

Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST)Census tracts that are overburdened and underserved are highlighted as being disadvantaged on the map. Federally Recognized Tribes, including Alaska Native Villages, are also considered disadvantaged communities. Source: Council on Environmental Quality.

EJScreen: Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool In order to better meet the Agency’s responsibilities related to the protection of public health and the environment, EPA has developed a new environmental justice (EJ) mapping and screening tool called EJScreen. It is based on nationally consistent data and an approach that combines environmental and demographic indicators in maps and reports. Source: Environmental Protection Agency.

Environmental Justice Scorecard
Find information about what federal agencies are doing to advance environmental justice in communities across America. Source: The Office of Management and Budget and the Council on Environmental Quality.

Energy

Energy Justice Mapping Tool - Disadvantaged Communities Reporter
This tool is intended to allow users to explore and produce reports on census tracts that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has categorized as disadvantaged communities, or DACs, pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 14008 - Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Source: Department of Energy.

Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool
The Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool is designed to help states, communities and other stakeholders create better energy strategies and programs by improving their understanding of low income housing and energy characteristics. Data for the LEAD Tool comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020 Public Use Microdata Samples. The energy data is for housing only. The LEAD Tool was initially conceived and developed as part of the Clean Energy for Low Income Communities Accelerator. More details on how the LEAD Tool was used by state and local partners can be found in the CELICA Toolkit. Source: Department of Energy.

Community Electric Potential - Inflation Reduction Act View average IRA household benefits and potential IRA benefits across the country - in terms of electric potential ($). Source: Rewiring America.

Housing

Housing Data The Census Bureau’s housing data present a comprehensive picture of housing in America. You’ll find a wide range of data on the size, age and type of American homes; home values, rents and mortgages, the housing and construction industry, and more. Source: United States Census Bureau.

HUD Open Datasets HUD provides interested researchers with access to the original datasets generated by PD&R-sponsored data collection efforts, including the American Housing Survey, median family incomes and income limits, as well as microdata from research initiatives on topics such as housing discrimination, the HUD-insured multifamily housing stock, and the public housing population. Source: Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Transportation

Transportation Disadvantaged Census Tracts (Historically Disadvantaged Communities)Consistent with OMB’s Interim Guidance, DOT has developed a definition for highly disadvantage communities using existing, publicly available data sets and where source data did not exist (Tribal lands, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands) OMB’s Common Conditions definition. Source: Department of Transportation.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Justice40 Map tool The Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Justice40 Map is a tool to help EV charging planning efforts to align with the Justice40 goal of 40% of the benefits of Federal investments in clean transportation going to disadvantaged communities (DACs). Source: Department of Energy & Department of Transportation.

Equitable Transportation Community Explorer The U.S. DOT Equitable Transportation Community (ETC) Explorer is an interactive web application that uses 2020 Census Tracts and data, to explore the cumulative burden communities experience, as a result of underinvestment in transportation, in the following five components: Transportation Insecurity, Climate and Disaster Risk Burden, Environmental Burden, Health Vulnerability, and Social Vulnerability. It is designed to complement the Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) by providing users deeper insight into the Transportation disadvantage component of CEJST, and the ETC Explorer's Transportation Insecurity component, which will help ensure the benefits of DOT’s investments are addressing the transportation related causes of disadvantage. USDOT’s ETC Explorer is not a binary tool indicating whether a census tract is considered disadvantaged; it is a dynamic tool that allows every community in the country to understand how it is experiencing burden that transportation investments can mitigate or reverse. Source: Department of Transportation.

Transportation Maps
Both climate impacts and transportation systems are distributed spatially. To map climate impacts to transportation infrastructure, we need to match the locations of the infrastructure to the impacts, and, this in turn requires maps or geocoded data sets. Here are a few examples of the maps and datasets available that are useful in analyzing the vulnerability of the transportation system to changes in climate. Source: Data.gov.

Transportation Tools
The Department of Transportation and other public and private organizations provide a range of software tools useful for transportation impact analysis. Source: Data.gov.

Screening Tool for Equity Analysis of Projects (STEAP)
Screening Tool for Equity Analysis of Projects is an extension of FHWA's HEPGIS web application that permits rapid screening of potential project locations anywhere in the United States to support Title VI, environment justice (EJ) & other socioeconomic data analyses. Source: Department of Transportation.

Climate Resiliency & Adaptation

Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation
The U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit is a website designed to help people find and use tools, information, and subject matter expertise to build climate resilience. The Toolkit offers information from all across the U.S. federal government in one easy-to-use location. Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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