PROGRAM The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program accelerates investment in our nation's water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental loans for regionally and nationally significant projects. FY 2020 WIFIA SELECTION ROUND NUMBER OF PROJECTS SELECTED: 55 TOTAL LOAN AMOUNT REQUESTED: $5.1 billion for loans ranging from $5 to $404 million TOTAL WATER INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT SUPPORTED: Over $12 billion REPEAT BORROWERS SELECTED FROM PREVIOUS ROUNDS: 7 PROJECTS REDUCING LEAD OR EMERGING CONTAMINANTS: 5 PROJECTS ADDRESSING REPAIR, REHABILITATION, OR REPLACEMENT: 30 NUMBER OF PEOPLE BENEFITTED: 25 million NUMBER OF STATES: 20 states TYPES OF PROJECTS: Wastewater collection and treatment, drinking water supply, distribution and treatment, stormwater management, desalination, water reuse projects, and projects that reduce exposure to lead and address emerging contaminants WIFIA APPLICATION PROCESS PHASE 1: PROJECT SELECTION • On July 17, 2020, EPA announced approximately $5 billion of funding available and solicited letters of interest for WIFIA loans. • On October 15, 2020, EPA received 67 letters of interest in response to this request. • EPA reviewed these letters of interest following the framework established in the WIFIA. The assessment includes an eligibility screening, a preliminary creditworthiness assessment, a preliminary engineering feasibility analysis, and selection criteria scoring. • On January 12, EPA announced the 55 projects selected to apply. PHASE 2: PROJECT REVIEW, NEGOTIATION, AND CLOSING • After receiving an application for WIFIA credit assistance, the WIFIA program conducts a detailed review of the project and proposed repayment structure. • Based on that review, the WIFIA program proposes terms and conditions for the WIFIA loan through a term sheet and credit agreement. • After the Administrator and the Office of Management and Budget approve the loan, EPA and the borrower will execute the term sheet and credit agreement to allow the borrower to begin to draw funds. United States Environmental Protection Agency WEBSITE: www.epa.gov/wifia EMAIL: wifia@EPA.gov ------- |