&EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCE Answering the "How to Pay" Question of Environmental Stewardship and Compliance November 2015 CEF Moves to the Office of Water During the summer, EPA's Administrator Gina McCarthy made the decision to move the Center for Environmental Finance (CEF) from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) to the Office of Water. Effective September 6, the CEF joined the team that will make up the new Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Finance Center within the Office of Wastewater Management. CEF and the Environmental Finance Program had operated within OCFO and its predecessor, the Office of the Comptroller since 1988. During its time in OCFO, the CEF was highly successful in working with federal, state, and local agencies, along with the private sector and others in the regulated community, learn how to pay for environmental facilities and services and acquire the tools and resources they need to meet environmental requirements. CEFs accomplishments include: • Creation and management of the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB) - EFAB was established and chartered in 1989 under the Fed- eral Advisory Committee Act and provides EPA with a cross-media, intergov- ernmental perspective on environmental and economic goals while emphasiz- ing cost-effective, risk-based approaches and public-private partnerships. • Creation and management of the Environmental Finance Center Grant Program - EFCs work with the public and private sectors to promote a sus- tainable environment, bolstering efforts to address difficult how-to-pay issues. Clients are typically communities that lack the management capacity to ad- dress these issues on their own. * Lunch and Learn Program - CEF contributes to agency expertise by bring- ing in environmental finance experts to discuss with interested employees various environmental community projects, the development and application of innovative tools, and proven financial approaches. * Guidebook of Financial Tools (Domestic and International) - Reference documents designed to assist interested parties with finding the means of financial environmental protection initiatives appropriate to their community needs. * Environmental Finance Website - The environmental finance information network is designed to provide information on innovative financing alterna- tives for state and local environmental programs, small businesses, and the general public, and is one of EPA's most popular. "CEF has created a strong foundation on which OW can build the new Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center. I would like to thank the CEF staff for all of their accomplish- ments...." David A. Bloom Deputy Chief Financial Officer In This Issue . CEF Moves to the Office of Water . Selection of EFC Grant Recipients . EFAB Recruits New Members EPA-800-N-15-001 ------- Selection of Environmental Finance Center Grant Recipients The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected eight universities and one technical assistance provider to receive grant awards through the Environmental Finance Center Grant Program. Awardees were selected through a competitive grants process, administered by EPA. Applications were accepted from public and private non-profit universities and colleges and non-profit organi- zations subject to 2 CFR part 200. Under this grant program (FY 2016-2021), the EFCs will operate across the nation to provide multi-media environmental financial expertise and technical assistance to regulated communities (e.g., states, tribes, local governments, and the private sector). The selected EFCs will help address the growing costs of protecting public health and the environment in a sustainable manner and develop solutions to the critical "how-to-pay" issues associated with meeting environmental goals. This selection of EFC recipients will provide environmental financing services covering 44 states and 6 U.S. territories. EPA is in the process of announcing another competition to solicit eligible applicants to support communities in the remaining states of Mon- tana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Colorado. Awardees University of Southern Maine Serving EPA Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont Syracuse University Serving EPA Region 2: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands University of Maryland Serving EPA Region 3: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia University of North Carolina @ Chapel Hill Serving EPA Region 4: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee Michigan Technological University Serving EPA Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin University of New Mexico Serving EPA Region 6: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas Wichita State University Serving EPA Region 7: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska California State University @ Sacramento Serving EPA Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau Rural Community Assistance Corporation Serving EPA Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington For more information on the Environmental Finance Center' Program, please visit: http://www2.epa.gov/envirofinance/efcn ------- Current EFAB Projects . P3s for Water Infrastructure Projects • Financing Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Programs • Financing O&M Costs at Green Infrastructure Sites . Financing Pre- Development Activities in Communities • Affordability Challenges in the Water Sector • Financial Capacity Development for Small Drinking/ Waste water Systems EFAB Recruits New Members EFAB is an independent advisory committee chartered in 1989 under FACA which provides a role for the public to participate actively in the federal governments decision-making process. The FACA allows the government to draw on the exper- tise of committee members, providing federal officials information and advice on a broad range of issues affecting federal policies and programs. EFAB's membership consists of experts from the finance and banking communi- ties, business and industry, national organizations, state and local governments, and academia. From our last solicitation for new membership to the Board, EFAB recruited seven new members. They represent a wide range of diversity and expertise in their fields and will be a great asset to EFAB and the EPA. They are as follows: Mr. Aurel M. Arndt, General Manager and CEO Lehigh County Authority Macuhgie, PA Mr. Jeff Walker, Deputy Executive Administrator Texas Water Development Board Austin, TX Mr. Courtney Knight, Managing Director Invest Atlanta Atlanta, GA Ms. Hope Cupit, President and CEO Southeast RCAP Roanoke, VA Mr. Jeff Hughes, Director University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC ! Chapel Hill EFC Ms. Joanne Throwe, Deputy Director Maryland Department of Natural Resources Annapolis, MD For more information on the Environmental Financial Advisory Board, please visit: http:www2.epa.gov/envirofinance/efab ------- |