EPA Announces First-Time Availability Of State WIFIA Funds For FY20

摘要

EPA is announcing the availability of fiscal year 2020 water infrastructure funding that it estimates could provide a total of $6 billion in credit assistance, including about $1 billion for a first-time program for state infrastructure financing authorities, following the release of new criteria for how to evaluate projects for funding. Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed a pair notices July 13 that will soon appear in the Federal Register announcing availability of funding under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program, first authorized in 2014, and the new state infrastructure financing authority WIFIA (SWIFIA) program. The WIFIA notice says an FY20 appropriations law provided $50 million in budget authority for the WIFIA program to cover the subsidy required to provide a much larger amount of credit assistance. EPA "estimates that this budget authority may provide approximately $5 billion in credit assistance and may finance approximately $ 10 billion in water infrastructure investment, while covering increased costs associated with implementing a larger program," the notice says. The SWIFIA notice says the same law also authorized $5 million in budget authority for the new program directing spending to states rather than individual water and wastewater utilities. EPA estimates this budget authority may provide approximately $1 billion in credit assistance and may finance roughly $2 billion in water infrastructure investments, the notice says.