President Biden signed into law a sweeping bill to lower health care costs and address climate change on August 16, 2022. The $740B bill includes some of President Biden's key campaign promises and makes the largest investment in federal climate programs in history.

Join us at the CDFA National Development Finance Summit, Presented by CHFA, in Denver, CO on Thursday, November 3 to learn from experts how to prepare for and finance critical infrastructure projects, such as roads, bridges, power and grid, passenger and freight rail, and broadband. Registration is open and the full agenda is available to view online!

Utilities are faced with a rare and remarkable opportunity to impact the present-day situation of their users and rate payers while also altering the long-term future of their entire communities. With the American Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act allocating billions of dollars to upgrade aging utility infrastructure and improve utility system resilience, utilities simply cannot afford to sit this one out.

Congressman Brian Higgins and Niagara Falls, NY Mayor Robert Restaino announced several public safety investments made possible by the more than $57M received through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Niagara Falls has plans to invest over $11.4M of its ARP funding in public safety,

The USDA welcomed the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which will deliver $19.5B in new conservation funding to support climate-smart agriculture. This funding will bolster the new steps that USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service announced to improve opportunities for nutrient management.

After decades of inaction in the face of escalating natural disasters and sustained global warming, Congress hopes to make clean energy so cheap in all aspects of life that it's nearly irresistible. The House of Representatives is poised to pass a transformative bill on August 12, that would provide the most spending to fight climate change by any one nation ever in a single push.

The comprehensive legislation would end federal cannabis prohibition by removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act. It empowers states to create their own cannabis laws, ensures federal regulation protects public health and safety, and prioritizes restorative and economic justice.

U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $75M investment in critical infrastructure improvements that will ensure thousands of rural people in Greenbrier County, WV have clean drinking water and sanitary wastewater systems for years to come. The money will fund two projects to upgrade aging, failing water infrastructure.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced more than $65 million of investments, through the Infrastructure Law, to help the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service improve water quality, roads, trails and fish habitat nationwide.

The USDA announced that it is investing $121M in critical infrastructure to combat climate change across rural America. The investments include $111M for 289 projects to help people living in socially vulnerable communities. These investments reflect the goals of President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which addresses immediate economic needs and includes the largest ever federal investment in clean energy for the future.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) $300M investment, including with American Rescue Plan funds, in a new Organic Transition Initiative will help build new and better markets and streams of income for farmers and producers. Organic production allows producers to hold a unique position in the marketplace and thus take home a greater share of the food dollar.

New York State has been awarded $501.5 million in federal funds through the State Small Business Credit Initiative, which was reauthorized and expanded as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. The initiative is managed by the U.S. Department of Treasury and provides funds to support programs for small businesses, with emphasis on those still struggling from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key provisions of the IRA relate to energy (including tax credits), healthcare, tax reform and deficit reduction. Unfortunately, the IRA falls short of including any tax-exempt financing tools.  Communities relying on public financing have been requesting provisions such as protections for direct pay subsidy bonds from continued federal sequestration, an expansion of volume cap for exempt facility bonds especially to satisfy the demand for affordable low-income housing, etc. The IRA includes none of the requested provisions.

The USDA announced the availability of nearly $8M to support the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program Produce Prescription Program. The funding is part of USDA's American Rescue Plan efforts and will be administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The USDA and the EPA announced the Closing America's Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative, which will be piloted in 11 communities across the country where residents lack basic wastewater management. The EPA and USDA will jointly leverage technical assistance resources to help historically underserved communities identify and pursue federal funding opportunities.