New Hampshire will receive more than $72 million in federal funding for upgrades to the state’s water infrastructure in 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan urged states across the country to focus the funding on communities that have had less access to federal funds and been most impacted by environmental burdens.
In a letter to governors across the United States, Regan wrote that he’d seen firsthand how communities of color and low-income communities have faced challenges in accessing federal infrastructure aid.
“States have the power to open the door to disadvantaged communities who for too long have struggled to compete for financing,” Regan wrote.
The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through the EPA’s State Revolving Funds (SRFs).
Regan also called on states to address contamination from lead and harmful PFAS chemicals, which have contaminated drinking water in communities across New Hampshire.
The EPA released a new plan for addressing PFAS contamination in October, after Regan visited New Hampshire and met with communities impacted by exposure to the chemicals.
In the letter to governors, Regan wrote the EPA will issue further guidance for the use of water infrastructure funding.
The EPA received $50 billion in funding for water and wastewater systems through the infrastructure law, representing the largest-ever investment in water by the federal government, according to the EPA.
The 2022 funding totals $7.4 billion for states, tribal nations and territories, and is the first of five years of funding through the EPA’s State Revolving Funds that will total $43 billion. Nearly half of that funding is available in the form of grants or principal forgiveness loans.
The EPA said New England states will see about $500,000 in funding for water infrastructure throughout 2022.
