Two Permanent Domestic Procurement Preferences Applicable to Water Infrastructure Federal Aid Included in Water Resources Reform and Development Act
On June 10, 2014 President Obama signed and thereby enacted the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). Pub. L. 113–121. The WRRDA included two new statutory Buy America laws applicable, respectively, to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. The WRRDA’s Buy America provisions are very similar to the iron and steel procurement preference policies applied to the CWSRF and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 (otherwise known as the “2014 Omnibus Appropriations”).
The newly authorized WIFIA program, a new water infrastructure financing program, will tap funds from the U.S. Treasury at long-term Treasury rates and enable the EPA to issue direct loans and credit support for large water infrastructure projects.
