The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act recently passed both chambers of Congress and was signed into law by President Biden. The infrastructure package includes billions of dollars in investments for resilience of natural systems. NACD’s Government Affairs Team will be releasing a series of blog posts to break down funding opportunities for districts through the infrastructure law as federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), and others work to get this funding implemented on the ground.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act delivers more than $50 billion to EPA to improve our nation’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. Of this funding, $1.7 billion is allocated for EPA’s Geographic Programs such as Long Island Sound, Puget Sound, and Great Lakes Restoration Programs. There is also $267 million for the EPA National Estuary Program, Gulf Hypoxia Program, and other coastal initiatives.

Also included in the Infrastructure Law funding for EPA is $11.7 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). CWSRFs provide funding for a wide range of water infrastructure priorities such as assistance to address non-point source pollution, national estuary program projects, stormwater management, and technical assistance. Funding through these streams is distributed through individual states, as different regions and states receive varying amounts of funding.

Conservation Districts have long been involved in EPA 319 Programs through their states. In South Dakota, Butte County, Lawrence County, and Elk Creek Conservation Districts are a part of a local partnership tackling water quality concerns in their watershed. The Belle Fourche River Watershed Partnership has accessed 319 separate grant fundings to monitor water quality in the river and implement water conservation practices with the help of local landowners and producers to successfully reduce bacteria levels in the river.

For more information on EPA Non-Point Source Pollution Programs, contact the appropriate EPA regional program administrator.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs act provides $1 billion for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. That funding is distributed across fiscal years 2022 through 2026 at $200 million per year. The BRIC program supports states, local communities, tribes, and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects and build community resilience. The program prioritizes the utilization of partnerships to implement nature-based solutions such as green infrastructure and low-impact development. These solutions both mitigate natural hazard risks and provide communities with co-benefits such as enhanced water quality and wildlife habitat. Conservation districts engaged in their local hazard mitigation plans with projects identified in those plans may be eligible for project funding through this annually competitive program.

Conservation districts, equipped with knowledge of local hazards and these nature-based ways of reducing risk, are important resilience partners. Districts including the Claunch-Pinto Soil and Water Conservation District in New Mexico have worked with FEMA in the past to implement hazard mitigation projects on the ground. The district began working with FEMA in 2018 after receiving funding from a Hazard Mitigation Grant to target 135 acres of privately-owned property for thinning, harvesting, and slash chipping to help with moisture containment and erosion. Four major wildfires between 2008 and 2016 devastated more than 44,000 acres and destroyed nearly 80 homes. The land that remained was scarred and contained dense regrowth that was ripe for future fast-moving fires, putting high population density areas in the county and other lands at risk. The Claunch-Pinto Soil and Water Conservation District worked with FEMA to manage and thin that land to mitigate risk of future disaster.

States or districts interested in learning more about this program, available funding, and getting involved, can direct questions to their State Hazard Mitigation Officer or local emergency managers or planners.

Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE)

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocates $7 billion to Army Corps of Engineers for flood mitigation projects. Priority will be given to previously authorized projects that have not yet been funded.

Of the overall funding provided for the Army Corps of Engineers under this law, $2.5 billion is set aside for coastal storm risk management activities, hurricane and storm damage reduction projects, and related activities targeting states that have been impacted by federally declared disasters over the last six years. $2.5 billion is also set-aside for inland flood risk management projects.

Conservation districts are well positioned to be key partners in local hazard mitigation and resilience projects implemented through the funding available for these programs.

To have your district’s success story highlighted in an upcoming publication, please contact NACD’s Communications Team.