Biden-Harris Administration and EPA Announce Delivery of Historic Water Infrastructure Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Michigan
Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
CHICAGO (October 14, 2022) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced more than $212 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to the state of Michigan for water infrastructure improvements.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates more than $50 billion to EPA toward repairing the nation’s essential water infrastructure, in turn helping communities access clean, safe, and reliable drinking water, prevent flooding, collect and treat wastewater to protect public health, and safeguard vital waterways.
Regional Administrator Debra Shore joined White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, Congressman Dan Kildee, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) Director Liesl Clark, and local officials at the Saginaw Water Treatment Plant to announce the funding.
“President Biden has been clear—we cannot leave any community behind as we rebuild America’s infrastructure with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu. “Because of his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, nearly half of the additional SRF funding will now be grants or forgivable loans, making accessing these critical water resources easier for small, rural and disadvantaged communities.”
“The historic investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is accelerating critical infrastructure upgrades in communities, especially those overburdened by water challenges,” said EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore. “EPA is proud to partner with Michigan to maximize the benefits of these resources – including modernized infrastructure, lead service line replacement, and increased resiliency to climate impacts – in communities where they’re most needed.”
“In the richest country in the world, access to safe, affordable and reliable drinking water should be a right,” said Congressman Dan Kildee. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering for mid-Michigan by improving our water infrastructure, ensuring access to clean drinking water and creating thousands of good-paying union jobs. In Congress, I will continue working to bring federal resources home to mid-Michigan.”
“These projects and others like them throughout our state will help provide protections for the environment and for the 10 million Michiganders who rely on the Great Lakes system for drinking water,” said Michigan EGLE Director Liesl Clark. “It is incredibly exciting to see real progress made on modernizing water systems – particularly those that have deteriorated from decades of disinvestment.”
“The City of Saginaw is dedicated to providing safe, clean, reliable, drinking water to city residents, as well as to our 20 wholesale customer communities located in Saginaw County and portions of Bay and Tuscola Counties,” said Saginaw City Manager Tim Morales. “Our system is benefiting from federal investment and we are pleased that the infrastructure dollars announced today will support other projects throughout Michigan for years to come, greatly improving the reliability and integrity of our state’s water supply systems.”
Michigan has been awarded more than $212 million in capitalization grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through its State Revolving Funds (SRFs) program. These grants supplement nearly $67 million in regular FY22 funding to Michigan’s SRFs program.
EPA’s SRFs are part of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits from certain federal programs flow to underserved communities. Furthermore, nearly half the funding available through the SRFs thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law must be grants or principal forgiveness loans that remove barriers to investing in essential water infrastructure in underserved communities across America.
Michigan has submitted and obtained EPA’s approval of their plans for use of the FY22 funding announced today. Capitalization grants will continue to be awarded, on a rolling, state-by-state basis, as more states submit applications; states will also receive awards over the course of the next four years. Once grants are awarded, state programs will begin to deliver the funds as grants and loans to communities across their state.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law presents the largest-ever funding opportunity for investing in water infrastructure. Find out more about Bipartisan Infrastructure Law programs and other programs that help communities manage their water resources on EPA’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law page.
Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-and-epa-announce-delivery-historic-water-infrastructure-16
