Public Utility Finance

The House of Representatives unanimously approved a significant water policy bill that includes a number of industry priorities on drinking water and other provisions impacting water infrastructure funding. America’s Water Infrastructure Act, bill S. 3021, combines two versions of Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) legislation developedRead More

In August, EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) released a draft report providing recommendations to the agency on water infrastructure investment. The document, entitled EPA’s Role in Addressing the Urgent Water Infrastructure Needs of Environmental Justice Communities, outlines suggested actions EPA should take to address water infrastructure challengesRead More

By Jim Baehr There’s no doubt that articulating the vision and mission of your water utility is necessary. They communicate your core purpose – your brand – the utility’s fundamental reason for being. Building a brand on ‘purpose’ is becoming more and more important. It’sRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program has received a record 62 letters of interest requesting $9.1 billion in credit assistance. “The more than $9 billion in WIFIA loans requested is nearly double ourRead More

According to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) in its Monday Morning Briefing for July 16, things got heated on Capitol Hill last week when supporters of the proposed SRF WIN Act clashed with committee members over the bill during a Senate Environment andRead More

Nicolette N. Bateson, CPA, chief financial officer (CFO) and treasurer of the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) will serve as the keynote speaker at the fourth annual Water Finance Conference to be held Aug. 28-29 at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C. The keynote addressRead More

New Financing Options Demand New Evaluation Tools By Mike Matichich Water agencies are faced with a widening array of delivery and finance options for their major capital programs. That is good news, as the industry likely will need everything from the U.S. EPA’s relatively new WIFIARead More

New data shows that requests to fund water and wastewater infrastructure projects through the U.S. EPA’s administered State Revolving Fund (SRF) program have increased 25 percent since last year. For the most recent cycle, 2017/2018 fiscal year, $26.9 billion has been requested for drinking waterRead More

Last week, water sector organizations joined a broad coalition of stakeholders asking members of Congress to support legislation to reinstate the ability of communities to issue tax-free advance refunded bonds, several months after the new tax reform bill eliminated this cost-saving option. Water groups participatingRead More

By Kristina Surfus The past year has been both an exciting and frustrating time for following federal clean water initiatives. This is particularly true for advocates of a strong federal funding partnership for clean water, like the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). TheRead More