[미국] WFX, 텍사스 사회기반시설 구축 위한 자금지원 나서
물부족, 경제적 어려움 겪는 지역사회에 직접지원 예정

미국 물금융거래소(WFX)는 물 인프라 프로젝트의 자금 부족 문제를 해결하고, 텍사스 전역으로 업무를 확대하기 위한 텍사스 사전 개발 기금(Texas Pre-Development Fund)의 출범을 지난 17일 발표 했다.

워싱턴 DC에 기반을 둔 비영리 단체 는 올해 초부터 텍사스 사전 개발 기금 조성 기반 마련을 위해 저금리 대출 발행, 상하수도 기반 시설 자금 지원, 지역사회 내 자문 지원 등의 활동을 이어왔다.

미국 내 소수의 소외된 지역 사회에 직접적인 자금 지원과 자문 지원을 통한 확장 가능한 솔루션을 구축하는 WFX는 엄격한 사전 개발 프로세스를 통해 다양한 공공 및 민간 자금 조달 기관 등을 통해  커뮤니티 물 인프라 프로젝트 기회의 파이프라인 구축에 만전을 기울이고 있다.

WFX에 따르면 전국적으로 사회 기반 인프라가 부족한 지역 사회와 지속적인 협력을 구축하고 있으며, 특히 리다 힐 자선단체(Lyda Hill Philanthropies) 등의 지원으로 텍사스 내 지역사회 사회 기반 시설 구축에 박차를 가하고 있다.

현재 텍사스 수백 개의 소규모 지역사회는 물부족, 경제적 어려움, 안전한 식수 및 하수 인프라 부족에 직면한 것으로 나타났다. 이를 해결하기 위해 WFX는 텍사스 물개발위원회(Texas Water Development Board)와 텍사스 환경품질위원회(Texas Commission on Environmental Quality), 텍사스 물재단(Texas Water Foundation), 텍사스 물무역(Texas Water Trade) 협회 등과 함께 소외된 계층에 지원을 나서고 있다.

한편, WFX는 텍사스 모든 분야의 사상가들과 실무자들을 참여시키기 위한 계획의 핵심 단계로서 지난 12월 15일 텍사스 엘파소(El Paso)에서 워크숍을 개최한 바 있다. 워크숍은 텍사스 전역의 소외된 지역 사회의 물 및 하수 요구 사항 충족 및 협력 강화를 위한 로드맵 생성으로, 미국 농무부, 미국 환경청(EPA) 등 관계자들이 참여했다.

[원문출처]

Water Finance Exchange Launches Fund to Support Water Infrastructure for Underserved Communities in Texas

The Water Finance Exchange (WFX) is pleased to announce the launch of a Texas Pre-Development Fund to expand its work throughout Texas to address funding shortages of water infrastructure projects.

Beginning in early 2022, WFX’s revolving Texas Pre-Development Fund will issue below-market, low interest loans and provide advisory support to communities seeking to fund adequate drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. WFX will work hand-in-hand with each community to develop a sound financial plan, identify alternative funding sources, and remain involved until deal closure.

The Washington, DC-based non-profit wrapped up an impactful inaugural year, providing direct funding and advisory support to several small and underserved communities across the nation. Building solutions that are scalable, WFX seeks to create a pipeline of community water infrastructure project opportunities that will attract funding from a range of public and private financing entities through its rigorous pre-development process. WFX will continue to work with underserved communities nationally, but will have a special focus on community needs in Texas thanks to significant opportunity in the state and a lead grant from Lyda Hill Philanthropies.

In Texas, hundreds of smaller communities face water scarcity, economic hardship and a lack of safe drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. With a commitment to support and build on the exceptional work of leading institutions such as the Texas Water Development Board, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Water Foundation and Texas Water Trade, WFX is positioned to be a strong partner in directly providing support to underserved communities across the state.

Texas possesses, perhaps more than any other state, the leadership, resources and institutions to develop sustainable water infrastructure solutions for its communities. As infrastructure and recovery funds are made available through the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the American Rescue Plan Act, WFX will be engaging those communities most in need to help them access and deploy the funds sustainably.

“The efforts of WFX are needed in Texas as the state grapples with population growth and diminishing water resources. WFX will provide the expertise and capacity to support smaller, underserved communities in their efforts to access capital to address their water management needs,” said Matt Crommett, Director, Lyda Hill Philanthropies and LH Capital, Inc.

As a key step in WFX’s plan to engage thought leaders and practitioners throughout the water sector, particularly those in Texas, WFX hosted a workshop on December 15, 2021 in El Paso, TX. The gathering sought to produce a roadmap for enhanced collaboration to meet water and wastewater needs of underserved communities across Texas. Initial candidate communities in need of WFX’s support were identified, including Colonias, as well as communities throughout the Texas Rio Grande border region and far west Texas area.

Workshop participants included leaders from some affected communities and representation from the public and private sectors, including the Texas Water Development Board, Texas Water Foundation, Dig Deep, Engineers without Borders, Water Funder Initiative, CoBank, Environmental Defense Fund, Texas Water Trade, Environmental Policy Innovation Center, Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities, Rural Community Assistance Partnership, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to name a few.

“Struggling communities urgently need solutions to develop and finance their water systems,” said Hank Habicht, WFX Managing Co-Founder and Texas resident. “This workshop was a first step in the creation of a community of practice that may serve as a resource for these underserved communities, while developing models that can be scaled to reach additional communities.”

To better serve Texas communities, WFX have engaged Senior Advisors Carlos Rubinstein, former TWDB Chair, TCEQ Commissioner, and City Manager of Brownsville, TX, and Walter “Buzz” Pishkur, former CEO of the Arlington Texas water utility. These leaders build on WFX’s strong Advisory Council.

Brent Fewell, Co-Founder of WFX and former senior U.S. EPA water official, will continue to serve as WFX’s primary lead of pipeline development, working with Rubinstein and Pishkur to identify and engage those Texas communities in most need.

[출처 = WFX(https://waterfx.org/water-finance-exchange-launches-fund-to-support-waterinfrastructure-for-underserved-communities-in-texas/) / 2021년 12월 17일자 보도자료]