Puerto Rico to get $78M from EPA to repair water infrastructure
Puerto Rico will receive $78.4 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2022, which comes from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) to upgrade aging water infrastructure and address key challenges like lead in drinking water and other contamination issues.
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan announced the round of funding that totals a global $50 billion for states, Tribes, and territories.
In a letter sent to Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, Regan encouraged Puerto Rico to maximize the impact of water funding from the law to address disproportionate environmental burdens in historically underserved communities across the islands.
“With President Biden’s leadership and congressional action, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has created a historic opportunity to correct longstanding environmental and economic injustices across America,” said Regan.
“As leaders, we must seize this moment. Billions of dollars are about to start flowing to states and it is critical that EPA partners with states, Tribes, and territories to ensure the benefits of these investments are delivered in the most equitable way,” he said in a statement.
EPA will allocate $7.4 billion to states, Tribes, and territories for 2022, with nearly half of this funding available as grants or principal forgiveness loans that remove barriers to investing in essential water infrastructure in underserved communities across rural America and in urban centers.
The 2022 allocation is the first of five years of nearly $44 billion in dedicated EPA SRF funding that states will receive through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the agency stated.
