Program Handbook

Information Sessions

EPA’s WIFIA program hosts webinars and information sessions for prospective borrowers to foster a greater understanding of the WIFIA program requirements and pave the way for successful applications to the program.

• Current status
• Eligibility and statutory requirements
• Application process
• Financial benefits and flexibilities
   

• Prospective borrowers including municipal entities, tribes, corporations, partnerships, and State Revolving Fund programs
• Private and non-governmental organizations that support prospective borrowers
   

Upcoming information sessions

For the Chicago, Boston, and Atlanta sessions below, WIFIA staff will be available for 30-minute individual meetings to learn more about your project and answer specific questions. Participants will receive a link to sign up after registering.

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February 4, 2019
Phoenix, Arizona
Arizona DEQ
1110 W. Washington Street
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Upcoming webinars

November 28, 2018, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (ET)
WIFIA Program Overview
Description: Learn about key aspects of the WIFIA program, including eligibility requirements, statutory terms and conditions, and federal requirements.
Register

December 5, 2018, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (ET)
WIFIA Application Process
Description: Learn about the WIFIA application process, including the Letter of Interest submission, evaluation, and selection.
Register

December 12, 2018, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (ET)
WIFIA Financial Benefits
Description: Learn about the WIFIA’s financial benefits including general information about flexibilities and a case study of one of WIFIA’s closed loans.
Register

Stay tuned for more information about in-person sessions and webinars.

View and download past information sessions:

• FY2018 WIFIA Letter of Interest Submission and Selection Process Webinar Recording and Presentation, April 23, 2018
• FY 2018 WIFIA Letter of Interest Submission and Project Selection - Small Communities Presentation, April 30, 2018
• FY 2018 WIFIA Letter of Interest Submission and Project Selection - Tribal Prospective Borrowers Presentation, May 2, 2018
• FY 2018 WIFIA Letter of Interest Submission and Selection Process – Question and Answer Session Presentation, May 30, 2018
• Overview of the WIFIA Program and 2018 Selection Round Presentation, June 4, 2018
• Other past webinar presentations

Learning Module

The WIFIA 101 Learning Module is self-paced, interactive training module designed to teach prospective borrowers about WIFIA financing. It includes chapters about the WIFIA program’s eligibility, financial terms and conditions, financial benefits, application process, and Federal requirements.

Federal Compliance Requirements

Projects receiving WIFIA credit assistance must comply with all federal laws and regulations. The following four requirements are particularly important for WIFIA projects.

• Each proposed WIFIA project must be assessed for its impact on the environment under the guidelines set forth by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). EPA will not issue a term sheet or obligate funds for a project until a final agency determination, such as a Categorical Exclusion (CATEX), Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), or a Record of Decision (ROD), has been issued. WIFIA projects may also be eligible for coverage under the WIFIA Programmatic Environmental Assessment. The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) (within the Executive Office of the President) governs NEPA compliance and ensures that Federal agencies meet their obligations under NEPA.
• Additionally, projects must comply with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), which requires consultation with the appropriate Historic Preservation Office.
• WIFIA borrowers are required to use iron and steel products produced in the United States. Guidance developed for compliance with American Iron and Steel (AIS) requirements for EPA’s SRF programs applies to projects receiving WIFIA credit assistance.
• They are also required to comply Davis-Bacon wage requirements and pay all laborers and mechanics working on the project no less than the locally prevailing work on similar projects in the area. Further guidance is available from the Department of Labor.

More information about compliance requirements is available in Chapter 1 and Appendices E and H of the WIFIA Program Handbook.