The opportunity zone provisions provide hefty incentives for investors to invest in economically distressed "opportunity zones." Real estate investing is the most obvious use-case. But the key to economic growth and job creation in cities and rural communities across the country is investment in new and growing businesses. 

Despite growing interest in O Funds and investing in O Zones, the law does not address many practical issues of how O Funds will operate and the timing for compliance measures. Very little guidance has been given to date, however, it is expected that additional guidance will be provided by the Treasury Department by the end of summer 2018.

The Charlotte City Council voted to approve a new "Framework for Building and Expanding Access to Opportunity through Housing Investments." The document, which was prepared by the city in partnership with the national affordable housing nonprofit group Enterprise Community Partners, lays out the scope of Charlotte's housing needs and identifies key strategies for building and preserving affordable units.

To safeguard Floridians against the impacts of sea level rise and extreme weather, the Center for American Progress and the CLEO Institute recommend that state leaders create a "Florida Future Fund." This state fund would use a blend of public and private investment—as well as financing products—to support innovative transportation and energy infrastructure projects and flood protections in areas that need them the most. 

The Erie Equity Fund, the investment arm of the EDDC, has what seems like a healthy bank account as it begins the task of revitalizing the city from Sassafras to Holland streets and from Perry Square to Third Street. But the EDDC, led by CEO John Persinger, hopes to transform the buying power of the organization into something far greater than its bank balance would suggest.

Bipartisan legislation, the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act of 2018, which would modify the tax code to remove state volume caps on the issuances of government private activity bonds (PABs) used by water and wastewater systems for infrastructure investment, has been reintroduced by Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).

Thanks to a partnership with the Connecticut Green Bank—a pioneer in the green lending space—PosiGen has been able to offer solar energy to low-to-moderate income households that are usually left out of Connecticut's growing green economy.

The first in a series of World Bank bonds to promote sustainable water use and ocean protection has been priced at SEK1bn ($77M). The seven-year bond is the first in a new series of Sustainable Development Bonds that aim to raise at least $3B to address sanitation, water scarcity, and marine protection issues.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that she will introduce a bill that clarifies the District of Columbia's authority to enter into public-private partnerships (P3s).  The District recently began the procurement process for its first-ever P3s.

A massive dike to hold back storm-driven floods surging in from the Gulf of Mexico was first proposed after Hurricane Ike devastated the Houston-area coast a decade ago. Now city and state officials in Texas are studying a possible partnership with private industry to create a new kind of bond to help pay for a $15 billion system of seawalls and floodgates, as a warming climate piles more storm risk on the nation's fourth-largest city. 

Based on legislation previously adopted by Congress in response to 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and flooding in the Midwest, the recommendations lay out what the National Association of Bond Lawyers suggests are the most important components of comprehensive, permanent disaster recovery legislation.

Like other ports around the nation, Brownsville -- managed by the Brownsville Navigation District -- wants to deepen its 17-mile ship channel to 52 feet from its current 42 feet to handle the larger ships coming through the expanded Panama Canal and deeper-draft tankers carrying U.S. energy exports. But like the other ports, Brownsville must wait for federal funding and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before the $200 million project can begin.

During this course, attendees will walk through the entire brownfields redevelopment process from understanding the basics of brownfields and legal and regulatory challenges to unearthing the myriad financing tools available to both clean-up and build-up these contaminated or polluted sites.

The Council of Development Finance Agencies seeks a motivated, well-organized and energetic individual to fill the position of Coordinator, Administration. This position is responsible for assisting with CDFA's day-to-day and programmatic operational elements including human resources, vender management and event administration.

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