EPA Kicks Off New $6.5B Round of WIFIA Loans
EPA Kicks Off New $6.5B Round of WIFIA Loans
Abstract
June 13, 2022 Tom Ichniowski KEYWORDS Environmental Protection Agency / EPA / Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act / WIFIA Order Reprints No Comments The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is getting ready to open its lending window for $6.5 billion in low-interest loans for a range of water infrastructure projects, including drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities. EPA announced on June 13 that it will have $5.5 billion available for the fiscal year 2022 round of its Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans plus $1 billion for the similar loans for state water infrastructure finance agency loans. Typically in just one announcement per year, EPA would "Invite" that year's batch of projects to move to the next step in the process, filing final loan applications. EPA would then close loans for individual projects throughout the year. For SWIFIA, the omnibus measure provided $5 million, which EPA said will support about $1 billion in loan volume. The final loan applications are due within 365 days of EPA's invitation to apply. Due to a shortage of appropriations, EPA did not close any loans from the program until April 2018.
