Press Releases
Congresswoman Wilson Encourages Cities to Apply for New Water Infrastructure Project FundsEPA Announces $6.5 Billion in New Funding Available for Water Infrastructure Projects
Miami, FL,
July 15, 2022
Tags:
Climate and Environment
Miami, Fla. – In June, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $6.5 billion in new funding for water infrastructure Projects. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24) is encouraging cities across South Florida to apply for this new funding through the agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program and the State Infrastructure Financing Authority WIFIA (SWIFIA) program. This year’s appropriation will provide up to $6.5 billion in total funding to support $13 billion in water infrastructure projects while creating more than 40,000 jobs. “In South Florida, we are already witnessing the effects of climate change on our water infrastructure, especially in our wastewater treatment and containment systems. I applaud the President’s further commitment to investing in our nation’s infrastructure and making available a significant portion of this funding specifically for underserved communities,” said Congresswoman Wilson. "I am encouraging cities and municipalities across South Florida to apply for and take advantage of the nearly $6.5 billion in funding to provide our communities the necessary funding to address and reinforce infrastructure and improve the health and safety of our residents.” The notices of funding availability include $5.5 billion for the WIFIA program and an additional $1 billion for the SWIFIA program. This round of funding will prioritize funding in four areas:
By prioritizing investment in underserved communities, EPA is considering prospective WIFIA borrowers consistent with the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative. This initiative intends to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40% of benefits from certain investments, including water and wastewater infrastructure, to underserved communities. To make WIFIA funding more adaptive to ongoing community needs, EPA is changing the way it accepts letters of interest from prospective borrowers. Letters of interest may be submitted by prospective borrowers and received by EPA at any time on or after September 6, 2022. The submission period will close when all available funds are committed to prospective borrowers. A rolling selection process allows EPA to provide year-round access to WIFIA funding, quicker selection decisions to prospective borrowers, and technical assistance to prospective borrowers. Since letters of interest will be evaluated when they are received, EPA encourages submissions at the beginning of the availability period. EPA’s WIFIA loan program is delivering the benefits of water infrastructure improvements nationwide. To date, EPA has closed 88 WIFIA loans that are providing over $15 billion in credit assistance to help finance nearly $33 billion for water infrastructure while creating nearly 100,000 jobs and saving ratepayers over $5 billion. For more information about WIFIA and this funding announcement, visit: https://www.epa.gov/wifia. Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program at EPA that aims to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental loans for regionally and nationally significant projects. WIFIA credit assistance can be used for a wide range of projects, including:
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