EFC News

General Obligation Bond

General Obligation Bonds provide local governments the ability to borrow money to fund infrastructure projects, typically for a low-cost, tax-exempt rate of interest.

Green Bonds, Green-Muni Bonds, Climate Bonds or Environmental Bonds

Green Bonds provide local governments the ability to borrow money to fund environmental, sustainable infrastructure projects, typically for a low-cost, tax-exempt rate of interest.

Greening America's Communities

Each year the EPA helps 3-4 cities and towns develop an implementable vision of environmentally friendly neighborhoods that incorporate innovative green infrastructure and other sustainable design strategies.

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to communities that have been declared Presidential Major Disaster areas to enact mitigation measures to reduce future loss of life and property.

Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant

The Missouri State Parks provides matching grants to acquire new recreation lands and to plan and develop them into close-to-home outdoor recreation opportunities to America’s youth, adults, senior citizens, and persons with physical or intellectual disabilities.

Capital Improvement Planning

Capital Improvement Plans are long-term planning documents that schedule major infrastructure improvements and spread the capital costs over many years to avoid large rate increases or getting into a bind when an unplanned capital project is required. CIPs cover installing new assets and rehabilitating or replacing current assets.

Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities

Each year the EPA provides technical assistance to about 3 communities to help them address the threats of natural disasters by providing tools and guidance to help them take action to protect the people, economy and quality of life in these communities.

Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program

The National Parks Service’s (NPS) River, Trails and Conservation Assistance program supports community-led natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation projects across the nation by providing a wide range of services and skills.

Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA)

The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act’s purpose is to accelerate investment in our nations water and wastewater infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance under customized terms to creditworthy water and wastewater projects of national and regional significance.

Mitigation Credits, In-Lieu Fee

In-Lieu Fees allow developers, states and local governments to offset “unavoidable impacts” to streams or wetlands and fulfill the National Policy of “no net loss of wetlands” through compensatory mitigation conducted by public agencies or nonprofits in compliance with Clean Water Act Section 404 Permitting. In other words, developers can “offset” stream and/or wetland impacts by purchasing credits that are generated by ILF programs which create, restore, and protect streams and wetlands within the affected Ecological Drainage Unit (watershed).