Public Utility Finance

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, along with bipartisan and bicameral partners, recently announced MI Clean Water, a $500 million comprehensive water infrastructure investment in Michigan’s water systems from source to tap. The MI Clean Water plan, the state says, marks a significant investment after decades of underinvestment in Michigan’s infrastructure. “SinceRead More

The Orange County Water District received a low-interest loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) that will save ratepayers an estimated $1.4 million dollars annually over the life of the 30-year loan. The up to $181 million loan was granted for use towardRead More

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a pared-down version of the HEROES Act, the chamber’s previous COVID-19 relief package. The legislation contains $1.5 billion in aid to water and sewer utilities to help low-income ratepayers during the pandemic. The new version of the HEROES billRead More

Economic gains are possible when investors with different strengths and preferences are combined in a single financing. It’s happening at the WIFIA loan program. By John Ryan The WIFIA loan program makes long-term loans for qualified projects at the U.S. Treasury’s interest rate. Since debtRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans at events in Oceanside, Calif. and Salt Lake City, Utah. EPA’s 27th and 28th WIFIA loans will provide more than $415 million to help the local communities financeRead More

The American Water Works Association (AWWA), the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) are applauding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the pre-publication release of its proposed 2020 Financial Capability Assessment (FCA). The new document will aidRead More

Joined by leadership from the Orange County Water District (OCWD; Water District) and Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD; Sanitation District), U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler recently toured the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), where he announced a joint effort that will save ratepayersRead More

The 2020 Water Finance Conference, being presented in a virtual format in September, will touch on a range of topics in the water utility finance space including rate setting, customer affordability short- and long-term financial planning, revenue recovery through technology, financing unfunded regulatory mandates and privatizationRead More

A new economic study finds that cost of water and wastewater failures will be significantly higher in 20 years for American households. According to the new report released last week by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Value of Water Campaign, the UnitedRead More

Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) was recently recognized for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association, marking the 17th consecutive year that EMWD has earned the distinction. EMWD received the Certificate of Achievement for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscalRead More