On February 21, 2019, the Treasury Department’s Office of Economic Policy published in the Federal Register its Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) to invite applications from State and local governments for awards under the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA), which was signed into law on February 9, 2018.

Five federal regulatory agencies have approved a long awaited final rule that makes it easier for mortgage lenders to accept private flood insurance policies. The rule is expected to take effect on July 1, 2019.

On January 14, President Trump signed into law the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (H.R. 7279), a bipartisan law that will provide communities across the country with the ability to develop integrated plans to bundle and prioritize important federal stormwater and wastewater standards under the Clean Water Act (CWA), which has the ability to save taxpayers and local governments billions of dollars while upholding important environmental protections.

 

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program that includes more than $318 million in grant funding from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018.

FRA seeks to collaborate with private, state and local investments on rail projects.  Grants will assist projects that improve intercity passenger and freight rail transportation safety, efficiency, and reliability. This program does NOT fund positive train control systems deployment; PTC was funded under a separate NOFO published in May.

The CRISI grant program directs at least 25 percent of available funds towards rural communities.  Also, selection preference will be given to projects with a 50% non-federal funding match from any combination of private, state, or local funds. The Department will also consider how well the project aligns with key Departmental objectives including supporting economic vitality; leveraging federal funding; preparing for life-cycle costs; using innovative approaches to improve safety and expedite project delivery; and holding grant recipients accountable for achieving specific, measurable outcomes.

FRA will host a webinar on August 8, 2018; a link to the webinar is here. 

Applications for capital projects funding under this solicitation are due no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT, up to 60 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register. The NOFO is here.