The EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB) is holding a public meeting on the 24-25 of October. Their meeting notice indicates that you can submit a written statement, which I’ve done.

The short statement seemed worth doing as a succinct summary of where WIFIA et al should be going and what might be required to get there. Another opportunity to practice the narrative, as it were.

Of course, I don’t really expect a statement or anything else about WIFIA to be considered or added to the meeting agenda by EFAB. Despite the Board’s name, the mechanics of federal loan programs, however impactful on EFAB’s stated policy priorities, just aren’t what they do. Instead, I assume the meeting will be consumed by the usual au courant topics and worthy initiatives. Many of which will soon be swept away by the hard reality of economic uncertainty and possible decline. The latter are the real issues impeding infrastructure renewal and improvement, with significant consequences for real-world environmental and social outcomes. The value of federal infrastructure loan programs designed to mitigate some of these challenges will likely be recognized soon enough by people that need to make decisions. The others can catch up later.

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