Blog
Current Blog Posts
Thanksgiving amidst Affordability Challenges for Environmental Services
This week of Thanksgiving, we at the Environmental Finance Center (EFC) are grateful for many things, including work in an interesting field and the opportunity to assist communities with the challenges of sustainable environmental finance….
Simple. Easy. Smart: Building a Better Energy Efficiency Finance Program
It’s the environmental equivalent of the chicken and egg conundrum. Which comes first? The energy efficiency retrofit (the plump chicken full of opportunity) or the capital (the very large egg) with which to fund it? The…
In it for the long-haul: Water rate approvals from real communication with boards
The Environmental Finance Center has partnered with Arcadis, Raftelis Financial Consultants, ICMA, and Stratus Consulting to get to the bottom of what meaningful communication between water utilities and their governing boards regarding rates and finances…
Striking the Balance: How Communities are Using Creative Financing to Support Green Infrastructure
My interest in Green Infrastructure (GI) sparked several years ago, when I worked as a college intern with the City of Greensboro, NC Stormwater Department. Back then, no one really talked about “green infrastructure”, but…
Encouraging Property Investments with Stormwater Fee Credit Programs
Greentown, USA wants to join some of its large older city peers such as Washington and Philadelphia that are rebranding themselves as Green Environmental Cities. Greentown wants to become the greenest small town in the…
New Tool Helps Local Governments Understand How to Finance Wetland and Water Quality Projects
Local governments can be important partners for state and tribal wetland programs. As noted in a previous post, while states and tribes often manage wetland programs, local governments regularly make land use, zoning, and development…
Water₡lips: New Video Series on Financial Topics for Water Utilities, their Boards, and Funders
Water utility governing boards serve a critical role in ensuring the provision of clean, safe drinking water. Governing boards are tasked with making important and complex decisions in line with the utility’s mission, and they…
WRRDA: Creating Interactions between the New WIFIA Program and the Updated Clean Water State Revolving Fund
As the federal government considered introducing a new program, the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authority (WIFIA), for funding water infrastructure projects, some opponents saw the new program as unnecessary. The protest was not…