EPA, Made in America Office, & federal water infrastructure agencies seek information to advance domestic manufacturing of critical water infrastructure products

Nov 15, 2023

WASHINGTON (Nov. 14, 2023) – Today, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a Request for Information (RFI) regarding products used in water infrastructure projects that receive federal financial assistance and are subject to the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) requirements. EPA, in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB’s) Made in America Office and other federal agencies, is seeking information that will improve understanding of the current domestic supply of products used in drinking water, wastewater and stormwater projects, and agricultural treatment and delivery systems. 

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is driving a manufacturing and clean energy boom, rebuilding America’s infrastructure and creating good-paying jobs,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “This Request for Information will accelerate Federal efforts to expand domestic supply chains for products used in water infrastructure projects by better understanding market trends and product availability, ensuring these crucial projects are delivered on time and on budget.” 

EPA and other federal agencies that fund water infrastructure projects, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of the Interior, are  interested in information detailing domestic materials sourcing, market readiness, product supply considerations, and whether specific products used in water infrastructure projects or their components are, or can be, manufactured in the United States. Information collected as part of this RFI will be shared between the listed federal agencies. 

EPA is committed to advancing Made in America objectives and implementing Build America, Buy America requirements to support long-term investments in domestic production. Using information collected from this RFI, EPA will support efforts to catalyze domestic manufacturing and jobs and support resilient supply chains to successfully deliver a wide range of urgently needed water infrastructure products and projects.

EPA will be hosting a public webinar to provide an overview of the notice on November 21, 2023.  To register for the webinar please register here. Additionally, EPA will be taking comments on the notice for 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. To submit your comments, visit Regulations.gov: Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OW-2023-0396.  

Background 

The Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It establishes domestic product sourcing requirements for infrastructure projects across all federal financial assistance programs. These requirements apply to an entire infrastructure project funded by any amount of federal financial assistance and includes those projects funded by EPA. 

EPA administers several programs that provide federal financial assistance for water infrastructure, including the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. These programs address critical water infrastructure needs through construction, alteration, or repair of water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure, including but not limited to lead service line replacement, water quality improvements, source water protection, treatment of emerging contaminants, and climate resilience.

For more information, visit EPA’s Build America, Buy America Act webpage.

For further information: EPA Press Office ([email protected])