The National Rural Water Association, headquartered in Duncan, Oklahoma, has been selected through a competitive grants process to establish a regional Environmental Finance Center (EFC) serving EPA Region 8 states (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming). The EFC will provide multi-media environmental finance expertise and outreach to regulated communities (e.g., states, tribes, local governments, and private sector entities) to help them meet environmental requirements.

EPA recognizes that given the trends of growing costs and increasing resource pressures, the need to support the environmental work of regulated communities through vehicles such as the regional EFCs is as important and timely as ever. The objective is to help the regulated parties in these communities find effective and innovative ways to help address the growing costs of protecting public health and the environment in a sustainable and equitable manner.

Under this program, the EFC will provide regulated parties in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming with finance-related training, technical assistance, finance studies, and other analytical support (eligible services) to help them develop sustainable solutions to the critical "how-to-pay" issues associated with meeting environmental standards and goals. The EFC will educate regulated parties on lowering costs, increasing investments, improving financial capacity, encouraging full cost pricing, and identifying and evaluating financing options.