On January 6, the U.S. Department of Treasury issued its Final Rule on the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program. This $350 billion in funding was enacted through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to provide every unit of local government and state/territory direct funding for recovery from the impacts of the COVID crisis.

As the Maryland General Assembly settles into its regular 90-day session, environmental leaders in both chambers are expected to reveal legislative proposals aimed at tackling climate change soon. The Senate draft could be ready as early as next week.

Momentum is building on Capitol Hill for more coronavirus relief funding to support restaurants and other businesses struggling to stay afloat in the face of the latest wave of the pandemic fueled by the omicron variant. Lawmakers involved in negotiations say support has been building among members for legislation aimed at supporting businesses that have been disproportionately hit by the pandemic.

The Biden administration is launching a new multi-billion-dollar bridge investment program funded by the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law that will provide funds to repair bridges across the country. The program, which will be administered by the Transportation Department's Federal Highway Administration, will provide $26.5 billion to states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico and $825 million to tribes over the next five years to repair existing bridges and build new ones.

Under the new ARPA guidance, the Treasury is presuming up to $10 million in revenue has been lost by each local government due to the public health emergency. Recipients are permitted to use up to that amount (not to exceed their respective awards) to fund "government services." Counties, metropolitan cities and non-entitlement units of local government may use their ARPA Local Fiscal Recovery Fund payments under four buckets of use set forth in the statute.

Sens. John Kennedy and Tina Smith introduced the Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act to examine problems small businesses in rural areas face when they attempt to access capital.

The U.S. Treasury Department revised its rules specifying how states can use federal funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), enabling a broader range of broadband projects to receive support. A set of final rules issued late last week includes two key changes: one provides more flexibility in what areas are eligible for support and the other is designed to ensure consumers can afford to use the broadband networks built with ARPA funding.

The White House is projecting the Lone Star State will receive about $35 billion during a five-year span that will go towards a variety of projects. This article takes a closer look at where this money would be distributed in Texas, based on estimations from the federal government.

USDA Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh announced that USDA is investing $1 billion to build and improve critical community facilities in 48 states, Puerto Rico and Guam. This infrastructure funding will increase access to health care, education, and public safety while spurring community development and building sound infrastructure for people living in rural communities.

The U.S. Department of Treasury's Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP) is part of a recent uptick in sources of equity for banks and credit unions with a focus on historically disinvested communities. These sources of equity have emerged largely in response to the continuing drop in Black-owned financial institutions, which number less than 20 today compared to around 40 a decade ago.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans totaling $688 million to help finance water infrastructure projects in Baltimore, MD, Milwaukee, WI, and the San Francisco Bay area. In the first year of the Biden-Harris administration, EPA closed 29 WIFIA loans that are investing over $5 billion in communities across the country to protect public health and the environment while creating over 36,000 jobs.

Since President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law 60 days ago, the Biden-Harris Administration has hit the ground running to deliver results. The Administration has made key progress towards implementing the largest long-term investment in America's infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century.

The USDA Rural Development announced a $331 million investment to improve critical infrastructure in rural Iowa last month. Iowa USDA Rural Development Director Theresa Greenfield says the investment comes as part of a more considerable $5.2 billion investment by the USDA into 46 states and Puerto Rico.

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) held a virtual meeting on Jan. 6 with U.S. EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox and other senior EPA Office of Water staff to discuss implementation issues and distribution of funds from the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure legislation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

USDA is investing $50 million in 118 partnerships to expand access to conservation assistance for climate-smart agriculture and forestry. The Equity Conservation Cooperative Agreements, administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service will fund two-year projects to expand the delivery of conservation assistance to farmers who are new to farming, low income, socially disadvantaged or military veterans.

U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the Department is increasing the maximum loan amount to $400,000 under the Intermediary Relending Program. This change is in accordance with provisions in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill). USDA is offering priority points to projects that advance key priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration to help communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, advance equity, and combat climate change.