The PA Infrastructure Investment Authority yesterday told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Impact and Infrastructure it has set a May 18 deadline for applications for water infrastructure and green infrastructure projects funded using federal stimulus dollars.
Paul Marchetti, PennVEST, said Pennsylvania will receive about $220 million for water infrastructure project, $65 million for drinking water and $155 million for wastewater. Half of the funds must be allocated in grants and at least 20 percent must be for "green infrastructure."
The formal language included in the stimulus package under the Clean Water Revolving Fund section says: "not less than 20 percent of the funds appropriated herein for the Revolving Funds shall be for projects to address green infrastructure, water or energy efficiency improvements or other environmentally innovative activities."
These practices, EPA guidance says, includes restoration of natural landscape features, such as forests, floodplains and wetlands, bioretention, green roofs, porous pavements and cisterns.
In addition, EPA says, green infrastructure technologies can simultaneously provide other benefits like helping to filter air pollutants, reducing energy demands, mitigating urban heat island and sequestering carbon.
PennVEST will be publishing a formal soliction for green projects in the near future.
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