The City of Houston will receive $4 million through the Work Now initiative, Gov. Jay Nixon announced this week.
The program commits more than $260 million in federal and state funds to wastewater and drinking water construction projects in communities across Missouri. Nixon approved 60 of the drinking water and wastewater projects as appropriate for funding in letters to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.
The Work Now initiative makes use of $146 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The initiative pairs the federal allocation with $120 million in state funds to increase the number of projects that can be completed. By enhancing the total investment amount with state dollars, the initiative pushes more money into critical infrastructure projects more quickly, as all funds must be obligated by recipient communities by Feb. 17, 2010.
Greater investment in public infrastructure projects on an expedited basis will yield positive economic impacts at an accelerated rate.
“Wastewater and drinking water projects are critical to maintaining our public infrastructure, but are also vital to getting construction workers and skilled tradesmen back to work right away,” Gov. Nixon said. “Too many Missourians are currently out of work. We want them back on the job as quickly as possible, and that’s why we are pulsing these funds into communities with instructions to put them promptly to use. My administration is working with local partners to ensure that these communities are getting these jobs rolling now.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has provided Recovery Act funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure improvements to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources through federal grants. Communities and local governments were required to apply for this funding through the DNR, have their projects certified as appropriate and complete the financial agreement process with the DNR before receiving funds.
Missouri is also contributing more than $120 million in State Revolving Loan funds to supplement the $146 million in Recovery Act funding. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources prepared and presented Intended Use Plans for wastewater and drinking water projects to the Clean Water Commission and the Safe Drinking Water Commission, which adopted the DNR proposals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the state’s Intended Use Plan submissions. The current plans include communities from around the state selected to receive the Recovery Act funds. All these communities will require certification in order to obligate the Recovery Act funds by the federal deadline of Feb. 17, 2010. Houston’s project has already begun.
As the process moves forward, dozens of communities across Missouri will receive funding through the State Revolving Fund and the Recovery Act to upgrade drinking water or wastewater systems, some of which are outdated and require serious repairs.