11/24/21
Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal:
What’s In It For Water And What Are The States Planning?

At long last, on November 5th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (H.R. 3684), and it was signed by President Biden on November 15th.  The deal will fund almost $1.2 trillion in all sorts of infrastructure investments. Even with final funding amount down considerably from original proposals, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal (BID) as it is known, is still an historic investment by the federal government.

Of interest to NEBRA members, there will be $11.7 billion for Clean Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) and another $1 billion for Clean Water SRFs to go towards work on emerging contaminants. There is $1.7 billion slated for place-based programs -- Lake Champlain and the Southern New England Estuaries are on EPA’s list (see FACT SHEET: EPA & The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law | US EPA). $5.4 billion is designated for cleaning up legacy pollution at Brownfields and Superfund sites.  $1.5 billion will be available to “scale up community-led brownfields revitalizations.”  These kinds of projects could have major beneficial impacts on local communities that need help. Our partners at the Water Environment Federation (WEF) have an extensive list of H.R. 3684’s provisions related to water on their website:

U.S. House Passes Infrastructure Package, Water Boosted in Budget Reconciliation (wef.org)

WEF President Jamie Eichenberger has said "Now it is time to seize this opportunity to rebuild water infrastructure and systems, not as we did in the past, but in ways fit for the 21st century, that utilize innovative technology, create resilience, serve communities, and deliver equity."

Many of the states have established priorities and programs aimed at making the most of the federal money that will come their way over a 6-year period starting with fiscal year 2021.  The state SRFs began thinking about it when Congress approved funding that could be used for infrastructure projects under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. At a recent meeting of the New Hampshire Water Pollution Control Association’s Government Affairs Committee, Tracy Wood, P.E., with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), gave a presentation about ARPA and BID funding programs and what it translated into for the state and local wastewater utilities. For New Hampshire, the monies represent a significant increase in the amount of SRF funding the State can provide each year. New Hampshire plans to spread out the new funding with at least some going to each community.  The State plans to increase its matching funds up to 20% in the 2024-2026 timeframe, and it will also offer significant principal forgiveness based on affordability factors for the communities. 

BID and ARPA have put a lot of money in the hands of the states to spend on infrastructure projects. Make sure to find out what your specific State’s SRF program is planning and align your funding needs with their programs. Most importantly, now is the time to get your plans together and apply for funding.  If you don’t know who is in charge of your State SRF, NEBRA (info@nebiosolids.org) can help you. In addition to the BID and ARPA funding deals, the SRF has been reauthorized and will provide equivalent, if not more, funding annually through 2026 for clean water infrastructure. This is a great time to get your solids handling project funded!