The Bureau of Reclamation recently initiated the Extraordinary Maintenance (XM) projects application period to address issues regarding aging water and power infrastructure in the Western United States.
“This month, Reclamation is taking direct action to keep our water and power infrastructure operating reliably into the 21st century,” Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in a December BOR press release. “Through a hybrid approach that combines 2021 BIL (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) funding with the updated process set up in 2020, we are bringing the best of both worlds to bear on this problem. We will be in lockstep with local partners; and because of that, we’re very confident that it will be a success.”
The application period for extraordinary maintenance projects opened Dec. 14 and is expected to close Jan. 31. There will also be additional opportunities to apply for funds, the release stated.
“Reclamation’s relationship with our partners is one of our greatest strengths, and we’re going to heavily leverage that partnership in putting this funding to work,” Touton said.
An information session for tribes will be held Jan. 7 at 11 a.m. Another information session for all other stakeholders is set for 3 p.m. More details about these sessions, as well as others are available on the BOR BIL webpage.
The BIL included $3.2 billion over five years in the Aging Infrastructure Account to be used for extraordinary maintenance needs, according to the release.
