New aid arriving for water infrastructure upgrades
A view along Route 4 in Woodstock, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Vermont will receive $63,041,000 in funding for drinking water systems and wastewater treatment as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden late last month, and U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Gov. Phil Scott (R) announced the new funding on Thursday. This money will go into the state’s revolving loan funds for drinking water and wastewater. Those funds are loaned or granted to municipalities for constructing, improving or expanding public drinking water and wastewater systems. This funding is in addition to the state’s annual allocation of approximately $15.8 million for the revolving loan funds, bringing the total federal funding for 2022 to nearly $80 million, according to Thursday’s announcement.
In the statement, Scott said these historic investments in this infrastructure offer a unique opportunity for Vermont towns and cities, including during their long-term economic recovery from the pandemic.
“My administration has made these kinds of investments a top priority, and because of (our Congressional Delegation’s) work, we will be able to have a huge impact on communities in all 14 counties, helping them build back more prosperous and resilient,” Scott said.
Leahy, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, also noted the importance to local economies.
“We all know Vermont needs more housing of all types, but one of the barriers to building that housing has long been a lack of sufficient water and wastewater infrastructure,” he said. “Vermonters across the state have expressed a desire for vibrant, walkable downtowns, where people can step outside their doors and walk to local businesses. Realizing that vision requires precisely the infrastructure that these investments will fund.”
Vt. brownfield clean-up investment moves forward
More than $7 million of the $25 million appropriated for brownfield site remediation has been committed to 10 projects across Vermont, state officials announced in a Friday statement.
The funding was previously announced by Gov. Phil Scott as part of Act 74 and represents the first-time state dollars have been allocated to brownfield sites, officials said. Historically, remediation projects have been funded exclusively by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. On Friday, the governor said the impact of the funding “will be transformational for Vermont communities” from economic and environmental standpoints.
Act 74 appropriated $11 million to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development; $10 million of which makes up the Brownfields Revitalization Fund used to fund clean-up projects at brownfield sites that can show transformational economic development outcomes, Friday’s announcement stated.
The Act also appropriated $14 million to the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) to help with the remediation of sites enrolled in the state’s Brownfield Economic Revitalization Alliance (BERA). These BERA projects represent some of the most costly and complicated clean-ups in Vermont. To date, ANR has committed $4.5 million of those dollars to two projects: the former Fonda Container Company site in St. Albans and the Jones and Lamson site in Springfield.
— Gareth Henderson
