65668 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 184 / Monday, September 25, 2023 / Notices 

6Additionally, you may file your comments 

electronically by using the eComment feature, 

which is located on the Commission’s website at 

www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and 

Filings. Using eComment is an easy method for 

interested persons to submit brief, text-only 

comments on a project. 

time limitation should be waived and 

provide justification by reference to 

factors set forth in Rule 214(d) of the 

Commission’s Rules and Regulations. A 

person obtaining party status will be 

placed on the service list maintained by 

the Secretary of the Commission and 

will receive copies (paper or electronic) 

of all documents filed by the applicant 

and by all other parties. 

Comments 

Any person wishing to comment on 

the project may do so. The Commission 

considers all comments received about 

the project in determining the 

appropriate action to be taken. To 

ensure that your comments are timely 

and properly recorded, please submit 

your comments on or before November 

18, 2023. The filing of a comment alone 

will not serve to make the filer a party 

to the proceeding. To become a party, 

you must intervene in the proceeding. 

How to File Protests, Interventions, and 

Comments 

There are two ways to submit 

protests, motions to intervene, and 

comments. In both instances, please 

reference the Project docket number 

CP23–540–000 in your submission. 

(1) You may file your protest, motion 

to intervene, and comments by using the 

Commission’s eFiling feature, which is 

located on the Commission’s website 

(www.ferc.gov) under the link to 

Documents and Filings. New eFiling 

users must first create an account by 

clicking on ‘‘eRegister.’’ You will be 

asked to select the type of filing you are 

making; first select ‘‘General’’ and then 

select ‘‘Protest’’, ‘‘Intervention’’, or 

‘‘Comment on a Filing’’; or 6

(2) You can file a paper copy of your 

submission by mailing it to the address 

below. Your submission must reference 

the Project docket number CP23–540– 

000. 

To mail via USPS, use the following 

address: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 

888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 

20426. 

To send via any other courier, use the 

following address: Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, 

Rockville, Maryland 20852. 

The Commission encourages 

electronic filing of submissions (option 

1 above) and has eFiling staff available 

to assist you at (202) 502–8258 or 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. 

Protests and motions to intervene 

must be served to the applicant either 

by mail or email (with a link to the 

document) at: to Cindy C. Thompson, 

Director, Regulatory, Compliance, and 

Information Governance, 4700 State 

Route 56, Owensboro, Kentucky 42301 

or by email (with a link to the 

document) at Cindy.Thompson@

southernstar.com. 

Any subsequent submissions by an 

intervenor must be served on the 

applicant and all other parties to the 

proceeding. Contact information for 

parties can be downloaded from the 

service list at the eService link on FERC 

Online. 

Tracking the Proceeding 

Throughout the proceeding, 

additional information about the project 

will be available from the Commission’s 

Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208– 

FERC, or on the FERC website at 

www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link 

as described above. The eLibrary link 

also provides access to the texts of all 

formal documents issued by the 

Commission, such as orders, notices, 

and rulemakings. 

In addition, the Commission offers a 

free service called eSubscription which 

allows you to keep track of all formal 

issuances and submittals in specific 

dockets. This can reduce the amount of 

time you spend researching proceedings 

by automatically providing you with 

notification of these filings, document 

summaries, and direct links to the 

documents. For more information and to 

register, go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferconline/overview. 

Dated: September 19, 2023. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2023–20727 Filed 9–22–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL 11257–01–OW] 

Notice of Funding Availability for 

Credit Assistance Under the State 

Infrastructure Financing Authority 

Water Infrastructure Finance and 

Innovation Act Program 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of funding availability. 

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice of 

funding availability (NOFA) is to solicit 

letters of interest (LOIs) from 

prospective state infrastructure 

financing authority borrowers seeking 

credit assistance from the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

under the State Infrastructure Financing 

Authority Water Infrastructure Finance 

and Innovation Act (SWIFIA) program. 

EPA estimates that it may lend 

approximately $1 billion to help finance 

approximately $2 billion in water 

infrastructure investment. 

DATES: LOIs submitted after October 25, 

2023 will be reviewed using the scoring 

criteria outlined in this NOFA. 

ADDRESSES: Prospective borrowers 

should submit all LOIs electronically 

via EPA’s SharePoint site. To be granted 

access to the SharePoint site, 

prospective borrowers should contact 

wifia@epa.gov and request a link to the 

SharePoint site, where they can securely 

upload their LOIs and then email wifia@

epa.gov once the complete LOI package 

has been uploaded to the SharePoint 

site. 

EPA will notify prospective borrowers 

that their LOI has been received via a 

confirmation email. 

Prospective borrowers can access 

additional information, including the 

WIFIA program handbook and 

application materials, on the WIFIA 

website: https://www.epa.gov/wifia. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dallas Shattuck, Office of Water, 

Environmental Protection Agency; 

telephone number: (202) 564–0972; or 

email: shattuck.dallas@epa.gov 

(preferred). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Background 

II. Program Funding 

III. Eligibility Requirements 

IV. Budgetary Scoring Determination for 

Non-Federal Projects 

V. Types and Amount of Credit Assistance 

VI. Letters of Interest and Applications 

VII. Fees 

VIII. Selection Criteria 

IX. Federal Requirements 

I. Background 

Congress enacted WIFIA as part of the 

Water Resources Reform and 

Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA). 

Codified at 33 U.S.C. 3901–3915, WIFIA 

authorizes a Federal credit program for 

water infrastructure projects to be 

administered by EPA. WIFIA authorizes 

EPA to provide Federal credit assistance 

in the form of secured (direct) loans or 

loan guarantees for eligible water 

infrastructure projects. 

Congress amended WIFIA in 

America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 

2018 (AWIA) to authorize Federal credit 

assistance exclusively for state 


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1This estimated loan volume is provided for 

reference only. Consistent with the Federal Credit 

Reform Act of 1990 and the requirements of the 

Office of Management and Budget, the actual 

subsidy cost of providing credit assistance is based 

on individual project characteristics and calculated 

on a project-by-project basis. Thus, actual lending 

capacity may vary. 

infrastructure financing authority 

borrowers. 

The WIFIA program’s mission is to 

accelerate investment in our nation’s 

water, wastewater, and stormwater 

infrastructure by providing long-term, 

low-cost, supplemental credit assistance 

under customized terms to creditworthy 

water infrastructure projects of national 

and regional significance. Additionally, 

the WIFIA program is implementing five 

key Administration priorities in this 

2023 NOFA: 

A. Increasing Investment in 

Economically Stressed Communities 

EPA encourages the submission of 

projects that address the ever-increasing 

needs of economically stressed and 

disadvantaged communities to ensure 

they benefit from investments in water 

infrastructure, and therefore improve 

the public health and livability of these 

communities. 

B. Making Rapid Progress on Lead 

Service Line Replacement 

Many drinking water systems still 

have lead service lines. EPA encourages 

the submission of drinking water 

infrastructure projects that will help 

make rapid progress on replacing lead 

service lines to reduce exposure to lead 

and improve public health. There is no 

safe level of lead in drinking water. Full 

lead service line replacement can be an 

effective method to reduce drinking 

water lead levels. Because of this, 

WIFIA-funded projects involving lead 

service line replacement should include 

a plan, strategy, and/or approach to 

comply with EPA policy on lead service 

line replacement. 

C. Addressing PFAS and Emerging 

Contaminants 

EPA encourages the submission of 

projects that focus on reducing exposure 

to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl 

substances (PFAS) and other emerging 

contaminants through drinking water 

and/or projects that help address 

discharges of emerging contaminants 

from wastewater and/or stormwater 

systems. 

D. Mitigating the Impacts of Drought 

EPA supports long-term strategies to 

conserve water, promote water 

efficiency and reuse, and protect and 

diversify communities’ sources of water. 

Taken together, these efforts can help 

communities address water quantity 

concerns and reduce their reliance on 

single sources for drinking water. Due to 

the WIFIA program’s broad range of 

eligible projects, EPA can finance 

projects such as aquifer storage and 

recovery, water reuse, green 

infrastructure, stormwater diversion and 

storage, water loss audits, meter 

replacement, groundwater 

replenishment, and nature-based 

solutions. 

E. Supporting One Water Innovation 

and Resilience 

One of the defining features of WIFIA 

is the broad range of eligible projects 

that EPA can fund to flexibly support 

priority needs. EPA encourages 

borrowers to submit applications for 

water infrastructure projects that are 

new and innovative in regards to energy 

efficiency, addressing drought, or 

reducing water pollution and 

contaminants. In addition, EPA 

encourages the submission of water 

infrastructure projects that are more 

resilient to all threats—whether it is 

natural disasters, climate change, or 

threats such as bioterrorism and cyberattacks. 

II. Program Funding 

A. WIFIA Program Appropriation 

Congress appropriated $5 million in 

funding to cover the subsidy cost of 

providing SWIFIA credit assistance. The 

subsidy cost covers the Federal 

government’s risk that the loan may not 

be paid back. EPA anticipates that the 

average subsidy cost for SWIFIA-funded 

projects will be relatively low; therefore, 

this funding can be leveraged into a 

much larger amount of credit assistance. 

EPA estimates that this appropriation 

will allow it to provide approximately 

$1 billion 1 in long-term, low-cost 

financing to water infrastructure 

projects and accelerate approximately 

$2 billion in infrastructure investment 

around the country. 

B. Funding Availability Period 

LOIs may be submitted by prospective 

borrowers and will be received by EPA 

on a rolling basis. LOIs shall be 

submitted using the SWIFIA LOI form 

found at https://www.epa.gov/wifia. 

Under the rolling process, LOIs will 

continually be reviewed and selected 

based on available funds. LOIs received 

after October 25, 2023 will be evaluated 

as described in section VIII of this 

document. The publication of this 

NOFA does not impact LOIs previously 

submitted to EPA, which continue to be 

reviewed based on the applicable 

requirements at the time of submission. 

Any funding authority not obligated in 

the fiscal year for which it is authorized 

remains available for obligation in 

subsequent years. 

LOIs submitted after October 25, 2023 

will be reviewed using the scoring 

criteria outlined in this NOFA. This 

NOFA provides guidance on all SWIFIA 

funding authority available including 

funding from previous years. 

III. Eligibility Requirements 

The WIFIA statute and implementing 

rules set forth eligibility requirements 

for prospective borrowers, projects, and 

project costs. The requirements outlined 

below are described in greater detail in 

the WIFIA program handbook. 

A. Eligible Applicants 

Prospective borrowers must be a state 

infrastructure financing authority to be 

eligible for SWIFIA credit assistance. 

EPA defines state infrastructure 

financing authority as the state entity 

established or designated by the 

Governor of a state to receive a 

capitalization grant provided by, or 

otherwise carry out the requirements of, 

title VI of the Federal Water Pollution 

Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1381 et. seq.) or 

section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water 

Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12). 

B. Eligible Projects 

To be eligible for SWIFIA credit 

assistance, the SWIFIA project must be 

a combination of projects, each of which 

is eligible for assistance under section 

603(c) of the Federal Water Pollution 

Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1383(c)) or 

section 1452(a)(2) of the Safe Drinking 

Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12(a)(2)), for 

which a state infrastructure financing 

authority submits to the Administrator a 

single application. 

C. Eligible Costs 

As defined under 33 U.S.C. 3906 and 

described in the WIFIA program 

handbook, eligible project costs are 

costs for the SWIFIA project associated 

with the following activities: 

(i) Development-phase activities, 

including planning, feasibility analysis 

(including any related analysis 

necessary to carry out an eligible 

project), revenue forecasting, 

environmental review, permitting, 

preliminary engineering and design 

work, and other preconstruction 

activities; 

(ii) Construction, reconstruction, 

rehabilitation, and replacement 

activities; 

(iii) The acquisition of real property 

or an interest in real property (including 

water rights, land relating to the project, 

and improvements to land), 


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65670 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 184 / Monday, September 25, 2023 / Notices 

environmental mitigation (including 

acquisitions pursuant to 33 U.S.C. 

3905(8)), construction contingencies, 

and acquisition of equipment; and 

(iv) Capitalized interest necessary to 

meet market requirements, reasonably 

required reserve funds, capital issuance 

expenses, and other carrying costs 

during construction. Capitalized interest 

on WIFIA credit assistance may not be 

included as an eligible project cost. 

IV. Budgetary Scoring Determination 

for Non-Federal Projects 

To comply with Public Law 116–260, 

a project selected for WIFIA financing 

using funding appropriated in FY2023 

will be assessed using two initial 

screening questions and sixteen scoring 

factors. These questions will help the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) determine compliance with 

budgetary scoring rules, a process that 

will be conducted in parallel to EPA’s 

LOI evaluation process outlined in this 

NOFA. The questions may be found in 

the Federal Register publication: Water 

Infrastructure Finance and Innovation 

Act Program (WIFIA) Criteria Pursuant 

to the Further Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2020 (85 FR 39189, 

June 30, 2020). These questions are also 

published in the WIFIA program 

handbook and further information about 

the scoring process may be referenced 

therein. EPA encourages project 

applicants to review the scoring criteria 

and provide sufficient information in 

the LOI or as an attachment to the LOI 

to facilitate EPA and OMB review of the 

prospective project considering the 

scoring criteria. 

V. Types and Amount of Credit 

Assistance 

Under SWIFIA, EPA is offering senior 

loans, on parity with a state 

infrastructure financing authority’s 

other senior capital market debt of the 

same credit quality, to help the state 

infrastructure financing authority lend 

to multiple projects throughout the 

state. 

A. Minimum Project Costs 

A SWIFIA project must have eligible 

project costs that are reasonably 

anticipated to equal or exceed $20 

million. 

B. Maximum Amount of SWIFIA Credit 

Assistance 

The maximum amount of SWIFIA 

credit assistance to a state infrastructure 

financing authority is 49 percent of 

estimated eligible total costs of the 

eligible projects that are included in the 

SWIFIA project. 

C. SWIFIA Loan Structures 

Prospective SWIFIA borrowers may 

request one the following loan 

structures: 

(i) EPA accepts the state infrastructure 

financing authority’s existing capital 

market debt indenture (to the extent the 

terms are permissible under Federal law 

and regulation and WIFIA program 

policies); or 

(ii) The state infrastructure financing 

authority accepts EPA’s standard terms. 

More information on EPA’s standard 

terms is available at www.epa.gov/wifia. 

VI. Letters of Interest and Applications 

Each prospective borrower will be 

required to submit an LOI and, if 

invited, an application to EPA to be 

considered for approval. This section 

describes the LOI submission and 

application submission. 

A. Letter of Interest (LOI) 

Prospective borrowers seeking a 

SWIFIA loan must submit an LOI 

describing the SWIFIA project 

fundamentals and addressing the 

SWIFIA selection criteria. 

The primary purpose of the LOI is to 

provide adequate information to EPA to 

validate the eligibility and 

creditworthiness of the prospective 

borrower and the prospective SWIFIA 

project and determine the extent to 

which the SWIFIA project meets the 

statutory selection criteria. Based on its 

review of the information provided in 

the LOI, EPA will invite prospective 

borrowers to submit applications for 

their projects. Prospective borrowers are 

encouraged to review the WIFIA 

program handbook to help create the 

best justification possible for the project 

and a cohesive and comprehensive LOI 

submittal. 

Prospective borrowers should utilize 

the LOI form on the WIFIA website and 

ensure that sufficient detail about the 

project is provided for EPA’s review. 

EPA will notify a prospective borrower 

if its SWIFIA project is deemed 

ineligible as described in section IV of 

this document. 

Below is guidance on what EPA 

recommends be included in the LOI. 

1. Loan Information: The prospective 

borrower provides information about its 

legal name, business address, program 

website, employer/taxpayer 

identification number, Unique Entity ID 

from SAM.gov, requested SWIFIA loan 

amount and SWIFIA project cost 

amount, type of SRF loans (clean water, 

drinking water, or both), and requested 

loan structure. 

2. Supporting Documents: The 

prospective borrower provides the most 

recent version of the following 

documents: Intended Use Plan (IUP), 

SRF Operating Agreements with EPA 

Regional Office, documentation of the 

priority setting system, and bond 

indenture (if applicable). 

3. Contact Information: The 

prospective borrower identifies the 

points of contact with whom the WIFIA 

program should communicate regarding 

the LOI. To complete EPA’s evaluation, 

the WIFIA program staff may contact a 

prospective borrower regarding specific 

information in the LOI. 

4. Certifications. The prospective 

borrower certifies that it will abide by 

all applicable laws and regulations, if 

selected to receive funding. 

B. Application 

After EPA concludes its evaluation of 

a complete LOI package, a selection 

committee will invite the prospective 

borrower to apply based on satisfaction 

of the eligibility requirements. So long 

as budget authority remains available, 

EPA expects that all eligible state 

infrastructure financing authority 

prospective borrowers will be invited to 

apply for a SWIFIA loan. 

An invitation to apply for WIFIA 

credit assistance does not guarantee 

EPA’s approval, which remains subject 

to a project’s continued eligibility, 

including creditworthiness, the 

successful negotiation of terms 

acceptable to EPA, and the availability 

of funds at the time at which all 

necessary recommendations and 

evaluations have been completed. 

However, the purpose of EPA’s LOI 

review is to pre-screen prospective 

borrowers to the extent practicable. It is 

expected that EPA will only invite 

prospective borrowers to apply if it 

anticipates that those prospective 

borrowers are able to obtain WIFIA 

credit assistance. Detailed information 

needs for the application are listed in 

the application form and described in 

the WIFIA program handbook. 

VII. Fees 

There is no fee to submit an LOI. For 

information about application and postclosing costs, please refer to the WIFIA 

fee rule, Fees for Water Infrastructure 

Project Applications under WIFIA, 40 

CFR 35.10080. 

VIII. Selection Criteria 

This section specifies the criteria and 

process that EPA will use to evaluate 

LOIs and award applications for 

SWIFIA assistance. 

The selection criteria described are 

the statutory selection criteria for state 

infrastructure financing authority 

borrowers. Following its eligibility 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 184 / Monday, September 25, 2023 / Notices 65671 

determination, EPA will determine the 

extent to which the SWIFIA project 

meets the statutory selection criteria. 

They are as follows: 

(i) The extent to which the project 

financing plan includes public or 

private financing in addition to 

assistance under [WIFIA]. 33 U.S.C. 

3907(b)(2)(B); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(10). 

(ii) The likelihood that assistance 

under [WIFIA] would enable the project 

to proceed at an earlier date than the 

project would otherwise be able to 

proceed. 33 U.S.C. 3907(b)(2)(C); 40 CFR 

35.10055(a)(2). 

(iii) The extent to which the project 

uses new or innovative approaches. 33 

U.S.C. 3907(b)(2)(D); 40 CFR 

35.10055(a)(3). 

(iv) The amount of budget authority 

required to fund the Federal credit 

instrument made available under 

[WIFIA]. 33 U.S.C. 3907(b)(2)(E). 

(v) The extent to which the project: (1) 

protects against extreme weather events, 

such as floods or hurricanes; or (2) helps 

maintain or protect the environment. 33 

U.S.C. 3907(b)(2)(F); 40 CFR 

35.10055(a)(4); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(5). 

(vi) The extent to which the project 

serves regions with significant energy 

exploration, development, or 

production areas. 33 U.S.C. 

3907(b)(2)(G); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(6). 

(vii) The extent to which a project 

serves regions with significant water 

resource challenges, including the need 

to address: (1) water quality concerns in 

areas of regional, national, or 

international significance; (2) water 

quantity concerns related to 

groundwater, surface water, or other 

water sources; (3) significant flood risk; 

(4) water resource challenges identified 

in existing regional, state, or multistate 

agreements; or (5) water resources with 

exceptional recreational value or 

ecological importance. 33 U.S.C. 

3907(b)(2)(H); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(7). 

(viii) The extent to which the project 

addresses identified municipal, state, or 

regional priorities. 33 U.S.C. 

3907(b)(2)(I); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(8). 

(ix) The readiness of the project to 

proceed toward development, including 

a demonstration by the obligor that 

there is a reasonable expectation that 

the contracting process for construction 

of the project can commence by not later 

than 90 days after the date on which a 

Federal credit instrument is obligated 

for the project under [WIFIA]. 33 U.S.C. 

3907(b)(2)(J); 40 CFR 35.10055(a)(9). 

(x) The extent to which assistance 

under [WIFIA] reduces the contribution 

of Federal assistance to the project. 33 

U.S.C. 3907(b)(2)(K); 40 CFR 

35.10055(a)(11). 

IX. Federal Requirements 

All projects receiving WIFIA 

assistance must comply with the 

applicable Federal requirements. 

Compliance with Federal requirements 

is not required for submitting a letter of 

interest, being invited to apply for a 

WIFIA loan, or submitting an 

application. The WIFIA program will 

review selected projects for compliance 

with Federal requirements once they 

have submitted an application. 

Additional information about Federal 

compliance requirements is available in 

the WIFIA program handbook and at 

https://www.epa.gov/wifia/wifia-federalcompliance-requirements. 

Authority: 33 U.S.C.3901–3915; 40 

CFR part 35. 

Michael S. Regan, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19687 Filed 9–22–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL 11258–01–OW] 

Notice of Funding Availability for 

Credit Assistance Under the Water 

Infrastructure Finance and Innovation 

Act (WIFIA) Program 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of funding availability. 

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice of 

funding availability (NOFA) is to solicit 

letters of interest (LOIs) from 

prospective borrowers seeking credit 

assistance from the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) under the 

Water Infrastructure Finance and 

Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. EPA 

estimates that it may lend 

approximately $6.5 billion to help 

finance approximately $13 billion in 

water infrastructure investment. 

DATES: LOIs submitted after October 25, 

2023 will be reviewed using the scoring 

criteria outlined in this NOFA. 

ADDRESSES: Prospective borrowers 

should submit all LOIs electronically 

via EPA’s SharePoint site. To be granted 

access to the SharePoint site, 

prospective borrowers should contact 

wifia@epa.gov and request a link to the 

SharePoint site, where they can securely 

upload their LOIs and then email wifia@

epa.gov once the complete LOI package 

has been uploaded to the SharePoint 

site. EPA will notify prospective 

borrowers that their LOI has been 

received via a confirmation email. 

Prospective borrowers can access 

additional information, including the 

WIFIA program handbook and 

application materials, on the WIFIA 

website: https://www.epa.gov/wifia/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dallas Shattuck, Office of Water, 

Environmental Protection Agency; 

telephone number: (202) 564–0972; or 

email: shattuck.dallas@epa.gov 

(preferred). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Background 

II. Program Funding 

III. Eligibility Requirements 

IV. Budgetary Scoring Determination for 

Non-Federal Projects 

V. Type and Amount of Credit Assistance 

VI. Letters of Interest and Applications 

VII. Fees 

VIII. Selection Criteria 

IX. Federal Requirements 

I. Background 

Congress enacted WIFIA as part of the 

Water Resources Reform and 

Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA). 

Codified at 33 U.S.C. 3901–3915, WIFIA 

authorizes a Federal credit program for 

water infrastructure projects to be 

administered by EPA. WIFIA authorizes 

EPA to provide Federal credit assistance 

in the form of secured (direct) loans or 

loan guarantees for eligible water 

infrastructure projects. 

The WIFIA program’s mission is to 

accelerate investment in our nation’s 

water, wastewater, and stormwater 

infrastructure by providing long-term, 

low-cost, supplemental credit assistance 

under customized terms to creditworthy 

water infrastructure projects of national 

and regional significance. Additionally, 

the WIFIA program is implementing five 

key Administration priorities in this 

2023 NOFA: 

A. Increasing Investment in 

Economically Stressed Communities 

EPA encourages the submission of 

projects that address the ever-increasing 

needs of economically stressed and 

disadvantaged communities to ensure 

they benefit from investments in water 

infrastructure, and therefore improve 

the public health and livability of these 

communities. 

B. Making Rapid Progress on Lead 

Service Line Replacement 

Many drinking water systems still 

have lead service lines. EPA encourages 

the submission of drinking water 

infrastructure projects that will help 

make rapid progress on replacing lead 

service lines to reduce exposure to lead 

and improve public health. There is no 

safe level of lead in drinking water. Full 

lead service line replacement can be an 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1