On Oct. 22, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced that 38 new projects in 18 states are being invited to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans.
Together, the selected borrowers will apply for WIFIA loans totaling approximately $6 billion to help finance more than $12 billion in water infrastructure investments which should help create almost 200,000 jobs and provide water infrastructure upgrades for 24 million Americans.
“This announcement highlights billions of dollars in needed water infrastructure investments to upgrade aging infrastructure, reduce exposure to lead and emerging contaminants and improve the lives of millions of Americans across the country – all while creating almost 200,000 jobs,” Wheeler said.
EPA’s WIFIA Loan program was established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, and is a federal loan and guarantee program administered by EPA. These loans enable communities across the country to implement projects to address national water priorities — including providing for clean and safe drinking water by reducing exposure to lead and emerging contaminants, addressing aging water infrastructure and developing water recycling and reuse projects.
Specifically, eight of the selected projects are water reuse or recycling projects, 11 projects will reduce lead or emerging drinking water contaminants, and 33 will address aging infrastructure. EPA received 51 letters of interest from both public and private entities in response to the 2019 WIFIA Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA).
To learn more about the 38 projects that are invited to apply, visit https://www.epa.gov/wifia/wifia-selected-projects.
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