Decarbonization is coming to the global shipping industry. Accounting for nearly one quarter of all carbon emissions from the world’s transportation sector and one billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, shipping stands at a critical juncture in its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate its environmental impact.Among the emerging alternatives to traditional fossil fuels, … Continue Reading
I always thought that we could benefit from a high school course on real life skills.[1] Things like “how to build your credit,” “how to calculate your taxes,” and “what portion of your income should be used for housing” would be taught in the class. The percentage of renters in the United States that are … Continue Reading
A few months ago[1] Bob Labes and I wrote a blog post about the $78 Billion Tax Bill that includes affordable housing help by reducing the tax-exempt financing requirement for a developer to receive the 4% low income housing tax credit (4% LIHTC) by 40% for a limited time only. This got us thinking about … Continue Reading
While the BEAD Program continues to garner most of the attention when it comes to federal funding for broadband infrastructure deployment programs, in this blog we have consistently underscored that (1) there are other sources of funding available and (2) the BEAD Program may not be the best fit for every entity and project. The … Continue Reading
With the start of a new year came renewed activity in the broadband space at the state and federal levels. As expected, there were developments related to the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (“BEAD”) program, the federal broadband funding program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”). In our previous blog post in … Continue Reading
In our last post, we previewed that states would be spending the months leading to December 2023 preparing “Initial Proposals” to award the funds that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) allocated to them under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program (the “BEAD program”). The Initial Proposals are the documents that must (1) … Continue Reading
In September, the White House released a “Fact Sheet” addressing technical resources to assist communities to unlock resources needed to take advantage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other infrastructure funding opportunities. … Continue Reading
We are pleased to announce a four-part webinar series based on developing best practices for US public-private partnerships (P3s). P3s are coming into their own across the US with high expectations as to how federal and state infrastructure funds can be leveraged when partnered with the private sector. Partnerships are complex on a good day … Continue Reading
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) plays a critical role in infrastructure and energy project development. The statute requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impacts of proposed major federal actions as part of the agencies’ decision-making process. Most proposed projects that require a federal approval, such as a permit, or that receive federal financing … Continue Reading
Established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Program awards grants to various public sector agencies – state, local, and tribal governments, public transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations – to execute projects that use advanced technologies to improve transportation efficiency and safety. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 … Continue Reading
P3 state legislation continues to expand and move forward with governors signing legislation into law and sending some bills back to legislatures for review and revision. The states have in common efforts to define the breadth and depth of projects suitable for public private partnerships and many are working to establish specific offices to manage … Continue Reading
As previewed in our earlier post, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”) announced how much money each state and territory will be allocated as part of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program (the “BEAD Program”). Nineteen states were allocated more than $1 billion: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, … Continue Reading
Broadband maps and the promise of a boom in broadband infrastructure projects remain a focus of federal, state, and local leaders. Recently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published an updated version of the National Broadband Map, which identifies all locations in the United States where broadband service is or could be available and what broadband … Continue Reading
With a divided U.S. Congress and presidential and congressional elections looming in 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden looks to boost labor protections using available executive and regulatory mechanisms within his control. Notably, one White House initiative will soon come into greater focus for large-scale, federally-funded construction projects – President Biden’s Executive Order (E.O.) 14063. Signed … Continue Reading
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) (Pub. L. 117-169) was signed into law on August 16, 2022. The IRA includes significant tax provisions, as well as nearly US$370 billion in federal funding for clean energy and environmental projects in the form of competitive grants, cooperative agreements, and loan programs. Notably, the IRA provides for a new … Continue Reading
Walking through LaGuardia Airport in 2023, you might forget that just a few years ago the terminals were woefully out of date. Featuring leaky roofs and cramped waiting areas, the Wall Street Journal commented that the old terminal B at LaGuardia was “possibly the worst major airport in the world.” To combat its woeful reputation, … Continue Reading
As we end the first quarter of 2023, it’s safe to say no one could have anticipated the myriad of challenges that now face public-private partnership (“P3”) deals. Inflation continues unabated, while interest rates continue to rise. Supply chains are complicated and tangled, and the high-profile closure of Silicon Valley Bank and the two-stage rescue of First … Continue Reading
The Bond Buyer announced its annual Deals of the Year in several categories. The winner in the P3 category was a bond issuance which financed a portion of the $2.75 billion Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project. The Fargo Moorhead project is a public-private partnership (P3), between the Red River Valley Alliance and the … Continue Reading
Those familiar with the UK infrastructure and energy sectors will be aware be aware that a Government-owned bank, established to fund projects in these sectors, has been talked about for some years, partially as a response to Brexit and the withdrawal of the European Investment Bank from the UK market, and also following the Government’s … Continue Reading
During the 2022 session, the Colorado legislature created a Public Private Partnership Office with the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration. The office was created by the legislature to facilitate the use of public private partnerships as a project delivery device to develop underutilized state land, and to promote the use of P3 as a … Continue Reading
As we noted in a prior post, linked here, US EPA has proposed to designate two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as “Superfund.” CERCLA provides the Federal government with the authority to respond to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances … Continue Reading
