Coastal Projects Get Funding [AUDIO]

Dozens of restoration and research projects along the East Coast will share $162 million in federal funding.

In advance of Superstorm Sandy's one-year anniversary, officials joined to make the announcement at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Galloway. The property absorbed a major shock during Sandy and protected local communities from severe flood damage.

The money will be invested in 45 projects, from restoring wetlands to rebuilding shorelines, aimed at better protecting Atlantic Coast communities from future powerful storms.

"All of this is part of the Sandy Aid that we, as a delegation, had to fight so hard for," said New Jersey Congressman Frank LoBiondo.

Specifically for New Jersey, $15 million will be spent on salt marsh restoration, with another $4 million dedicated to infrastructure resiliency at the Ohmsett oil spill research and test facility in Middletown.

"What we witnessed during Hurricane Sandy was that our public lands and other natural areas are often the best defense against Mother Nature," said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell.

Since the storm hit last October, the Department of the Interior invested $480 million in response and recovery efforts.