Public Utility Finance

Fitch Ratings: EPA’s cyber rules will add financial burden for utilities

Fitch Ratings: EPA’s cyber rules will add financial burden for utilities

According to a release from credit rating firm Fitch Ratings, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) requirement that all public water systems incorporate cyber risk and resiliency in their periodic reviews will add an increased regulatory and financial burden that could be even greater forRead More

Associations urge Congress to prioritize affordability, build on LIHWAP program

Associations urge Congress to prioritize affordability, build on LIHWAP program

Recommendations Include Establishment of Permanent Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Program at HHS Five water sector organizations joined forces today to release a new report on the growing water affordability concern for low-income Americans and call for a permanent program to address the challenge. The AmericanRead More

Funding approved for WSSC Water bioenergy project

Funding approved for WSSC Water bioenergy project

Public Utility Finance, Water Finance April 24, 2023 at 9:27 am

Earlier this month, the Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) approved an estimated $25 million in loans and loan forgiveness to WSSC Water to help Maryland’s largest water utility continue efforts to protect local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay with the construction of the PiscatawayRead More

National Water Policy Fly-In to headline Water Week 2023

National Water Policy Fly-In to headline Water Week 2023

Next week, water sector leaders will gather in the nation’s capital for Water Week, an annual week of in-person meetings, events and Capitol Hill visits with lawmakers to discuss the most critical issues facing water. The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the WaterRead More

How Small Players Can Leverage Infrastructure Funding

How Small Players Can Leverage Infrastructure Funding

Public Utility Finance, Water Finance April 3, 2023 at 8:06 am

| By Robert Sheets Last summer, Ellory Monks and Shalini Vajjhala writing for the Brookings Institute, noted that $850 billion of funding is coming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). They rightfully note that funding like this typically goes to larger, wealthier communities.Read More

EPA’s 100th WIFIA loan to invest in Santa Clara County, California

EPA’s 100th WIFIA loan to invest in Santa Clara County, California

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced two Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans totaling $115 million to Santa Clara Valley Water District in Santa Clara County, California, to improve resiliency of the system’s water infrastructure. The announcement marks the 99th and 100th loansRead More

EPA announces $2.4 billion for clean water projects

EPA announces $2.4 billion for clean water projects

Public Utility Finance, Water Finance February 27, 2023 at 9:57 am

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced more than $2.4 billion from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for states, Tribes, and territories through this year’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). EPA says the funding will support communities in upgrading essential water, wastewater,Read More

EPA: $2 billion in grants available to combat emerging contaminants

EPA: $2 billion in grants available to combat emerging contaminants

Public Utility Finance, Water Finance February 21, 2023 at 9:25 am

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the availability of $2 billion from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address emerging contaminants like Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water across the country. The investment, which is allocated to states and territories,Read More

Six FCRA Criteria for Federally Involved Projects

Six FCRA Criteria for Federally Involved Projects

Public Utility Finance, Water Finance February 15, 2023 at 11:34 am

By John Ryan Stakeholders of the U.S. EPA WIFIA loan program will recall that the program ran into a serious-sounding issue about correct budgeting a few years ago. The issue arises when a WIFIA loan is made to an infrastructure project that has some degreeRead More

Biden-Harris admin announces $340 million for Philly water projects

Biden-Harris admin announces $340 million for Philly water projects

Public Utility Finance, Water Finance, Water Management February 13, 2023 at 9:53 am

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a $340 million financing commitment to upgrade the City of Philadelphia’s aging drinking water infrastructure, including replacing customers’ lead service lines. The agency says a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) low-interest loan will jumpstart theRead More