Federal funding continues to flow, and it is available now to government officials throughout the country. Just weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced yet another $272 million that is available for rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. USDA will finance 114 projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program.

Some of the first recipients include:

And, this new funding will only enhance other federal funding programs. Additional projects receiving financial assistance from federal programs are being announced weekly.

Illinois – State leaders announced a six-year $1.2 billion plan on October 18 to transform 16 miles of Interstate 80 in Will County, redesign auxiliary lanes and interchanges to reduce congestion, and rehabilitate over 30 bridges along the roadway.

The project will replace more than 50-year-old infrastructure on a condensed timeframe, creating thousands of construction and permanent jobs, and positioning the region for long-term economic opportunity.

Starting next year, the section from Ridge Road to the DuPage River will be under construction as land acquisition progresses and final engineering is completed on the replacement of the Des Plaines River bridges.

Improvements will begin from Ridge Road to U.S. 30 in 2023, leaving construction of the Des Plaines River bridges and Center Street and U.S. 52/Illinois 53 (Chicago Street) interchanges in 2026 and 2027.

Advance work on I-80 started this summer with a $41.7 million project to replace the eastbound bridges over Hickory Creek, Richards Street, Rowell Avenue/Canadian National Railroad, and westbound over Richards Street, in Joliet, Rockdale and New Lenox, while widening eastbound I-80 from Gardner Street to Rowell Avenue. Once the eastbound improvements are completed next year, similar improvements will begin in the westbound direction.

When it wraps up in 2027, the overall I-80 project will have redesigned and rebuilt 16 miles from Ridge Road, in Minooka, to U.S. 30, in Joliet and New Lenox, while adding or extending auxiliary lanes to improve safety and reduce congestion. Interchanges will have been rebuilt or improved at Interstate 55, Illinois 7, Center Street, Chicago Street, Richards Street and Briggs Street, with a new flyover ramp linking southbound I-55 to westbound I-80 to improve traffic flow and safety. More than 30 bridges will have been rehabilitated or replaced.

West Virginia – Gov. Jim Justice unveiled a billion-dollar strategy on October 15 to bring broadband access to 200,000 West Virginia homes and businesses.

The plan will combine funding from federal, state, and local governments, along with matching investments from private-sector partners, to accelerate the expansion of high-speed internet to underserved areas of the state.

Justice’s strategy will add a $236 million state broadband program to $362 million in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) funding and $120 million from other state and federal sources, for a total of $718 million in government funding expected to be allocated by fall 2022.

The funds will be allocated through competitive programs that draw matching funds from private-sector and local government partners, generating more than $1 billion in total broadband investment.

Three funding sources supporting the initiative are:

According to FCC data, at least 30 percent of the state’s rural homes and businesses lack adequate broadband access, leaving West Virginia with one of the nation’s lowest broadband connectivity rates. Broadband expansion in West Virginia has been hindered by the cost of extending networks into mountainous rural areas.

Washington, D.C. – The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is planning up to seven new offshore lease sales by 2025 to meet the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030.

Sites under consideration are in the Gulf of Maine, New York Bight, Central Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico, as well as offshore of the Carolinas, California, and Oregon.

BOEM is working on refining its process for identifying additional wind energy areas that may be suitable for offshore wind energy leasing. In addition, it is developing clear goals, objectives, and guidelines that can be shared with government agencies, tribes, industry, ocean users, and others prior to identifying such areas.

The agency is reviewing nine construction and operations plans (COPs) with a goal of completing the review of at least another six by 2025, for a total of at least 16 COP reviews representing more than 19 GW of clean energy.

Minnesota – The METRO Purple Line – a $457 million to $474 million bus rapid transit project in Minneapolis – earned environmental clearance from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

As part of the regional METRO system, the 15-mile Purple Line will connect people to jobs, housing, services, and key destinations such as Union Depot and downtown Saint Paul, Regions Hospital, Hmong Village, Phalen Regional Park, St. John’s Hospital, Maplewood Mall, and downtown White Bear Lake. As currently designed, the line has 21 stations.

FTA approval will help clear the way for the transfer of the project from Ramsey County to the Metropolitan Council in late 2021 or early 2022.

The Council anticipates that the project will be accepted into the federal Capital Investment Grant Program this winter, which would provide approximately half of the capital funds for the project.

Construction is expected to begin in 2024 with the bus rapid transit line starting operations in late 2026.

James Touchton joins the Strategic Partnerships, Inc. Team as an economic development expert, a government relations professional, and a former public servant from the executive ranks of government.

James served as the economic development director for the city of Stockbridge, Georgia. Prior to that, he served for seven years as the director of policy and government affairs for the Council for Quality Growth.

His political expertise was honed during his five years of tenure with the Georgia Senate Research Office as a senior policy analyst and adviser. Prior to that, James was on the staff of an elected state representative and later in the office of Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue.

James received his undergraduate degree in political science and his master’s degree in public administration from Kennesaw State University, where he served as student government president. He was named Kennesaw State University’s Political Science Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 2018.

His civic activities have included service as the past president of the board for Advance Atlanta. James is a graduate of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development, the Atlanta Regional Commission’s leadership program, and the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’ Leadership Cobb program. He serves on several regional advisory boards. James will be a great asset to the Strategic Partnerships Team in Georgia.

New York – The Fire Department of the city of New York (FDNY) extended its deadline for a request for information (RFI) for dispensing systems for emergency medical services inventory management.

FDNY’s proposed system includes a combination of software and dispensing capabilities that allow for the control and tracking of medical equipment, supplies, and medications.

The dispensing system shall include:

In addition, it must feature cloud-based reporting software providing real-time usage and inventory tracking.

The new deadline for RFI submissions is 2 p.m. November 1.

Michigan – A new initiative to develop the nation’s first wireless charging infrastructure on a public road in the U.S. is starting up in Michigan.

The Inductive Vehicle Charging Pilot is a partnership between the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification that will deploy an electrified roadway system that allows electric buses, shuttles, and vehicles to charge while driving, enabling them to operate continuously without stopping to charge.

Electrified roadways have the potential to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles by consumers and fleet operations alike by enabling continuous vehicle operations and turning public streets into safe and sustainable shared energy platforms.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the pilot in which MDOT will work with a private partner to develop a one-mile stretch of state-operated roadway in Wayne, Oakland, or Macomb counties.

To date, MDOT has activated the largest vehicle-to-infrastructure technology deployment - nearly 600 miles - in the U.S., including a first-of-its-kind connected and autonomous vehicle corridor.

Washington, D.C. – The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are warning of potential vulnerabilities to ongoing cyber threats at U.S.-based water and wastewater systems (WWS).

In a joint alert, the agencies cited four known ransomware attacks between September 2020 to August. This activity — which includes cyber intrusions leading to ransomware attacks — threatens the ability of WWS facilities to provide clean, potable water to, and effectively manage the wastewater of, their communities.

Most recently, malicious cyber actors used Ghost variant ransomware against a California-based WWS facility in August. The ransomware variant had been in the system for about a month and was discovered when three supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) servers displayed a ransomware message.

In July 2021, cyber actors used remote access to introduce ZuCaNo ransomware onto a Maine-based WWS facility’s wastewater SCADA computer. The treatment system was run manually until the SCADA computer was restored using local control and more frequent operator rounds.

Cyber actors used an unknown ransomware variant against a Nevada-based WWS facility in March 2021. The ransomware affected the victim’s SCADA system and backup systems. The SCADA system provides visibility and monitoring but is not a full industrial control system.

In September 2020, personnel at a New Jersey-based WWS facility discovered potential Makop ransomware had compromised files within their system.

WWS facilities may be vulnerable to these tactics, techniques, and procedures by threat actors:

The FBI, CISA, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Security Agency recommend WWS facilities use a risk-informed analysis to determine the applicability of a range of technical and non-technical mitigations to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats.

Delaware – New Castle County released a request for information (RFI) for modern, intuitive, workflow-driven software that supports municipal land use planning, permitting, engineering, and code enforcement.

In addition to the land use functions, the desired solution includes land use planning board hearings, contractor licensing, Geographic Information System (GIS) services, administrative hearings, and fiscal management. Workflows extend to other departments including finance and public works.

The goal of the RFI is to discover what is typically offered in a comprehensive land use solution and determine what functionality should be outlined in the pending request for proposals to replace the current system.

New Castle County envisions a Software as a Service Enterprise Resourcing Planning (SaaS ERP) solution powered by cloud technology. Comprehensive Land Use functionality includes:

The deadline for RFI responses is October 27.

New York – More than $20 million in state grants will go toward strategic infrastructure enhancements at 24 public airports across New York.

This state funding will enhance safety, facilitate innovation, leverage existing resources, advance business development, and promote sustainability and resilience at these facilities.

Administered by the New York State Department of Transportation, projects funded through the Aviation Capital Investment Program include the construction of new security and access control improvements, deployment of new automated weather monitoring systems, and the construction and rehabilitation of new and existing hangars and aircraft refueling facilities.

In Central New York, $1.3 million will support Hamilton Municipal Airport’s safe removal/disposal of an existing aged fueling facility and construction of a new state-of-the-art environmentally friendly refueling facility.

South Albany Airport in the Capital District will receive $1 million to use for construction of a solar electric generation system, upgraded septic system, and a new facility to store equipment used to maintain operations during inclement weather events.

The state awarded Westchester County Airport and Hudson Valley Regional Airport $1.5 million for a new central aircraft deicing ramp and $1.4 million for operational support buildings, respectively.

North Country airports stand to receive a total of $5.2 million in state grants, including $1.4 million for the construction of a new hangar at Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport.

Funding was awarded to projects through a competitive solicitation process and evaluated based on established criteria including economic benefit, operational efficiencies, safety enhancements, and the potential for attracting new or expanded aeronautical-related activities. The selection criteria prioritized projects that were cost-effective and contributed to greenhouse gas emission reductions.

Hawaii – The Department of Research and Development of the county of Hawaii is seeking input on climate change solutions such as a net-zero emission economy and sustainable infrastructure development in a request for information (RFI).

Identification of climate change mitigation and adaptation opportunities is the primary objective of the RFI. The county is open to considering opportunities related to hydrogen, renewable energy, and sustainable infrastructure for a “post carbon economy.”

Specific categories include:

County leaders are prioritizing a hydrogen-based economy and reducing the need for fossil fuels. It is their intention to use the responses to this RFI to identify specific opportunities that will be awarded through future competitive processes. The county hopes to issue the first such opportunity in 2022.

The deadline for submitting RFI responses is 4:30 p.m. HST November 4.

South Carolina – The board of directors of South Carolina Ports approved Barbara Melvin as the port’s new chief executive officer (CEO), effective July 1, 2022. She will succeed CEO Jim Newsome who is set to retire in June 2022. Melvin is currently the port’s chief operating officer. During 20-plus years with the South Carolina Ports Authority, she has served as senior vice president of operations and terminals, senior vice president of external affairs, and vice president of government relations.

California – The Fremont City Council selected Karena Shackelford as their new city manager, pending approval of an employment contract. She succeeds former City Manager Mark Danaj who resigned in September. Shackelford had been serving as an assistant city manager for Fremont. Before that, she was its deputy city manager.

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appointed Vid Desai as its chief information officer (CIO) in the newly established Office of Digital Transformation. Prior to joining the FDA, Desai held CIO roles at a respiratory medical device company, a GI device and services provider, and a medical device, outsource manufacturer. His previous experience includes IT leadership roles with large clinical research organizations and pharmaceuticals.

Illinois – Northwestern University’s board of trustees named Rebecca Blank as the university’s new president effective in summer 2022. She will succeed Morton Schapiro who announced his retirement in March. Blank currently serves as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before that, she was dean of the public policy school at the University of Michigan and director of the Joint Center for Poverty Research at Northwestern.

Florida – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority named Kimberly Dunham as chief of staff. Most recently, Dunham served as chief executive officer of the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority. Before that, she was executive director at the Greater New Haven Transit District in Connecticut.

Missouri – The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) of Kansas City board of directors named Heather Brown as interim chief executive officer. She takes over from former Interim CEO T’Risa McCord. Brown most recently served as executive director of the city’s Industrial Development Authority. Before that, she was executive director of the Tax Financing Commission of Kansas City.

Mary Scott Nabers, Publisher

Devin Monk, Editor

Government Contracting Pipeline, a publication of Strategic Partnerships, Inc., is a free, weekly newsletter detailing important happenings nationwide and the premier source for federal, state, and local government news and contracting opportunities.