Washington Report – December 9, 2024

Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that an additional $200M in funding will be available through the Flood Mitigation Assistance’s (FMA) Swift Current program;
Swift Current was created to speed up the award of FMA funding to reduce the damage-repair cycle of repetitively or substantially flood-damaged properties;
Swift Current provides resiliency dollars after a major disaster declaration following a flood-related disaster event to reduce risk against future flood damage for states recently impacted by flooding;
Funding was made available through the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) which included $3.5B in FMA grants, over five years through Fiscal Year (FY) 2026;
Click here for additional information on this FMA updated funding opportunity;
The last eligible disaster declaration date is May 31, 2025.

The latest Public Works Research product from Government Affairs provides a visual overview of ongoing efforts to address PFAS contamination including:
- Limits on PFAS in drinking water
- Hazardous designation for certain PFAS
- Actions by agencies outside of EPA including the Department of Defense and the Food & Drug Administration
- Litigation surrounding new proposed rules and PFAS manufacturers

APWA sent a letter to the leadership of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee in support of the recent conference agreement on the legislation;
The letter highlighted the role of public works professionals and thanked the committee leadership for their work and investing in a diverse array of water infrastructure projects, additional provisions noted included:
- Reauthorization of the National Dam Safety Program with accompanying reforms
- Investments in nature-based solutions and environmental restoration
- The redistribution of unobligated funds from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program
- Reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration and other regional commissions
- Policy and programmatic reforms to streamline U.S. Army Corps of Engineers processes

As the year is winding down, and looking ahead to opportunities still available in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in place for the next 2 years, make sure to look at the resources available on the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Navigator website;
The DOT Navigator site has links for application tips, webinars, points of contact resources, and more that are useful for applicants;
Also, regularly check APWA’s Infrastructure Law Resource page for updates, links to APWA webinars on IIJA (including one held about the DOT Navigator tool), and opportunities across all federal agencies related to funding and regulatory changes about which public works professionals should be aware.

All times ET.

Dec. 10 at 2:00 p.m., the House Committee on Homeland Security Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Subcommittee and Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee will hold a joint hearing titled “Safeguarding the Homeland from Unmanned Aerial Systems”;
Dec. 10 at 2:00 p.m., FEMA will host a webinar to provide assistance regarding the Public Assistance Mitigation Cost Share Incentives Policy that outlines the actions states, Tribal Nations, territories and select private nonprofits may take to receive an increase in the federal cost share of their permanent recovery projects.