EPA Launches New Program to Fund Water Infrastructure

EPA Launches New Program to Fund Water Infrastructure

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EPA today announces that WIFIA is open for business. Below is an email from Andrew Sawyers of EPA with relevant links.  Importantly, WIFIA provides up to $1B in credit assistance.

Dear Colleagues,

 Today, I am very excited to share that EPA announced the availability of approximately $1.0 billion in credit assistance for water infrastructure projects under the new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. This financing will help support approximately $2 billion in total infrastructure investment.

 In the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), the WIFIA program solicits letters of interest from prospective borrowers seeking credit assistance from EPA. The NOFA outlines the process that prospective borrowers must follow to be considered for WIFIA credit assistance and establishes relative weights for the selection criteria. Letters of interest from prospective borrowers seeking credit assistance will be accepted from January 10, 2017 until midnight on April 10, 2017.

The WIFIA program website has been updated to include resources to assist prospective borrowers seeking credit assistance, including:

·        Application Materials

·        WIFIA Program Handbook

·        Frequently Asked Questions

The WIFIA program will host two webinars for prospective borrowers that will provide a short overview of the WIFIA program and explain the process for submitting and evaluating WIFIA letters of interest. These webinars will be held on Thursday, February 9 at 2:00-3:30 pm ET and Tuesday, March 7, 2016 at 1:00-2:30 pm ET. To access the webinars, register in advance for either the February 9 or March 7 webinar. Following the webinars, EPA will post a copy of the presentation and a recording of the webinar on the WIFIA website.

I am also excited to introduce Jorianne Jernberg who began as the WIFIA program director on December 26th. Prior to joining WIFIA, Jorianne was the head of the Risk Management and Financial Operations group within the Department of Transportation’s TIFIA credit program.  Jorianne can be reached jernberg.jorianne@epa.gov and 202-566-1831.

To receive announcements about the WIFIA program and notifications about additional resources, please sign up here and select “Finance and Funding.”

Sincerely,

Andrew Sawyers

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