Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program Rules Signed

Over the past two years, EPA has focused on setting up the administrative structure necessary to launch the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program.  This week, Administrator McCarthy signed two rules to establish the administrative structure necessary to offer credit assistance under the WIFIA program.
The interim final WIFIA Implementation Rule outlines the WIFIA program’s administrative framework, including the eligibility requirements, application process, project priorities and federal requirements for borrowers.  It also explains the criteria EPA will use to select among project applicants, as well as EPA’s key priorities in this program, including adaptation to extreme weather and climate change, enhanced energy efficiency, green infrastructure, and repair rehabilitation, and replacement of aging infrastructure and conveyance systems.
In the proposed Fee Rule, EPA proposes fees to reimburse the Agency for the cost of retaining the expert firms, including financial, engineering, and legal advisory services, needed to administer the program effectively.  Congress provided for these fees when it enacted WIFIA, and this rule is designed to help ensure that the program can be run sustainably.
Both rules will be published in the in the Federal Register on Regulations.gov (in Docket Nos. EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0568 and EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0569) by the end of December 2016 and be open for public comment.