The Trump Administration’s FY18 budget plan for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) faced criticism from both sides of the aisle last week during an appropriations subcommittee hearing on the proposal. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said that while the administration favors “clean water and fixing our outdated infrastructure,” the agency is implementingRead More

Last week, as part of its observance of Infrastructure Week, the American Water Works Association announced the launch of its new Buried No Longer (BNL) tool. The BNL online tool offers water and wastewater utilities the opportunity to accurately forecast the cost of their water and wastewater pipe repair andRead More

The American Water Works Association applauded Congress for appropriating an additional $10 million for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). The additional $10 million brings WIFIA funding in 2017 to $30 million, which can leverage an estimated $1.5 billion in federal loans. Because WIFIA can only fund 49 percent ofRead More

The $1.017 trillion omnibus appropriations bill signed in early May by President Donald Trump finalizes federal agency budgets for the remainder of the 2017 fiscal year and removes the immediate threat of a government shutdown. The bill slightly reduces overall EPA appropriations, but also delivers fresh new funding for the Water InfrastructureRead More

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) celebrated news that 43 entities have expressed interest in loans through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) and urged increased funding to confront the U.S. water infrastructure challenge. AWWA, the chief architect of the WIFIA program, continues to advocate for WIFIA andRead More

According to a new report from Fitch Ratings, water and sewer utilities throughout the country are faced with aging infrastructure and a rather large price tag to rectify it, which could pave the way for substantially more investment in the space. The California drought, the Flint, Mich., toxic water crisisRead More

Water utility officials interested in learning more about the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) pilot program will have the opportunity to participate in an EPA webinar detailing the application process this week. Scheduled for 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 7, the “WIFIA Letter of Interest Submission andRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the availability of approximately $1 billion in credit assistance for water infrastructure projects under the new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. EPA’s WIFIA program will provide long-term, low-cost credit assistance in the form of direct loans and loan guaranteesRead More

In December, President Barack Obama signed the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act into law. The bill authorizes $170 million for communities facing drinking water emergencies, including funding for Flint, Mich., to recover from the lead contamination in its drinking water system.   The legislation also authorizes otherRead More

  In a letter to President-elect Donald J. Trump last week, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) encouraged collaboration among the new administration to make water infrastructure investment a key priority in the coming years. The letter also elevated the issues of cybersecurity, source water protection, the energy-water nexus, affordabilityRead More