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GEFA frames itself as state infrastructure bank; highlights $249 million DOE grid resilience grant
Summary
Hunter Hill, representing the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, described GEFA's role in financing water, wastewater and energy projects and discussed a Department of Energy Grid Resilience grant for $249 million tied to a 50/50 cost share with utilities and cooperatives.
Hunter Hill, speaking for the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), described the agency as the state's infrastructure bank and told the House Natural Resources & Environment Committee that GEFA provides below-market loans and technical support for local water and wastewater projects.
"One of the best ways to think of us is...you have EPD who regulates the environment, and oftentimes we partner with your local communities to provide the financing solutions," Hill said, describing GEFA’s water financing programs and the state-funded Georgia Fund used for economic development projects that federal programs cannot support.
On energy resilience, Hill highlighted a recent DOE award under the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program. He said GEFA and partners won a Department of Energy grant "for 249,000,000 and it was a 50/50 cost share," and that Oglethorpe Power, Georgia Transmission and EMCs were expected to contribute matching funds. He said the project aims to upgrade transmission and distribution to improve resiliency, with an emphasis on disadvantaged census tracts in the southwest part of the state.
Hill also summarized federal programs GEFA administers or implements for local governments, including the State Energy Program, Weatherization Assistance and various energy rebate pilots. He said GEFA runs loan programs intended to help smaller and disadvantaged communities that cannot access private capital markets.
Why it matters: GEFA’s financing terms and technical assistance affect how local governments plan and pay for water and energy infrastructure, particularly in smaller or disadvantaged jurisdictions that rely on GEFA loans and federal-state programs for upgrades and resilience projects.
