Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan announced that Florida will receive $275,420,000 from the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law. The funding will be used to protect Florida clean water, upgrade aging state water infrastructure, and address key challenges like lead, excess nutrients in drinking water, and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances contamination.
“President Joe Biden and Congress are delivering results from Washington, D.C., to our home state of Florida,” Congressman Darren Soto said. “Through the funding provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, we will have the opportunity to make desperately needed upgrades to our water infrastructure and deliver results to the vulnerable populations who have been historically underserved in our community.”
“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 EPA Administrator Regan. “As leaders, we must seize this moment.”
Over the following weeks and months, Florida will receive notice of more funds reaching the state as a result of the bipartisan infrastructure law.
“My constituents in Florida’s Ninth Congressional District are unfortunately too familiar with the dangers posed by unsafe drinking water,” Rep. Soto added. “In the City of St. Cloud specifically, we have seen multiple issues over the years stemming from aging infrastructure and lack of maintenance. Additionally, toxic ‘forever chemicals’ known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances have been found in our water, air, and soil around Florida, leading to serious health concerns. These conditions are unacceptable and do not live up to the promises made to Americans in the Clean Water Act. Sadly, while 32 Republicans voted ‘yes,’ not a single Florida Republican voted for the bill. It is my hope that our state will use these funds to make safe drinking water a reality for every Floridian.”
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.
To view a more detailed breakdown of EPA funds, click here.
