EPIC DWSRF Funding Tracker: Tennessee

These findings and recommendations are drawn from EPIC’s analysis of DWSRF Intended Use Plans (IUPs) prepared by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for State Fiscal Years 2022-2026. 

Federal law requires states to submit an IUP as a condition of receiving a DWSRF federal capitalization grant, and further requires that “[t]he IUP must contain a fundable list of projects that are expected to receive assistance from available funds designated for use in the current IUP and a comprehensive list of projects that are expected to receive assistance in the future.” EPIC interprets “comprehensive list” broadly, to include any projects for which an applicant has indicated an interest in seeking SRF funds, and which could be considered for SRF funding from the current or a future funding cycle. EPIC interprets “fundable list” to include a subset of projects identified at the IUP stage, which have been selected to move forward in the process towards finalizing an SRF award agreement. As such, this subset of projects has passed the first hurdle towards receiving SRF funds. 

In Tennessee, the Fundable List is indicated by a ranking line that TDEC places on a Project Priority List associated with the IUP, while the Project Priority List as a whole is the Comprehensive List.