Today, EPA announced the availability of approximately $5.5 billion in credit assistance for water infrastructure projects under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. This financing will help support approximately $11 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. Priorities for Fiscal Year 2018 are (1) provide for clean and safe drinking water, including reducing exposure to lead in the nation’s drinking water systems and (2) repair, rehabilitate, and replace aging infrastructure and conveyance systems. Letters of interest from prospective borrowers seeking WIFIA loans will be accepted until 12:00 PM (noon) EDT on July 6, 2018.
The WIFIA program website has been updated to include resources to assist prospective borrowers seeking credit assistance, including:
Application Materials, including a new Letter of Interest form, example, and checklist; and
Updated WIFIA Program Handbook.
Recently, the WIFIA program received $63 million total in funding in the FY18 Omnibus Appropriations bill. WEF and other water sector leaders were pleased with this and hope to reauthorize the program and boost funding in FY19.
For more information on WIFIA, register for one of the webinars that EPA will host during the Letter of Interest submittal period. The webinars will provide a short overview of the WIFIA program and explain the process for submitting and evaluating WIFIA letters of interest. Following the webinars, EPA will post a copy of the presentation and a recording of the webinar on the WIFIA website. To receive announcements about the WIFIA program and notifications about additional resources, you can sign up on the EPA website.
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