Center for Environmental Finance (CEF)

The Environmental Financing Information Network (EFIN) is one component of the Center for Environmental Finance (CEF). The objectives of the Center for Environmental Finance are to promote ways to manage the costs of environmental services, to build state and local capacity, increase investment in public and private environmental infrastructure, build partnerships, encourage environmental justice, and lower costs.

The purpose of the Environmental Financing Information Network is to provide information on financing alternatives for state and local environmental programs and small businesses. To accomplish this goal of information exchange, the EFIN Center maintains this website and its publications, links, and contacts. EFIN operates an infoline and distributes EPA documents on the topic of environmental financing published by the Center for Environmental Finance, the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB) and the Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs).

Description, History, and Background

The Center for Environmental Finance is responsible for three major activities:

• Managing the Environmental Financing Information Network
• Managing the Environmental Finance Center Network,
  whose regional centers are located at universities around the country
• Managing the activities of the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB)

EFIN serves the Environmental Financial Advisory Board by displaying and promoting their publications on the Web site. EFIN also supports the Environmental Financing Centers by providing a central focal point for these regional centers, linking them together and allowing them to share information on lessons learned and financing techniques. This includes maintaining contact information for the EFCs on the Web site and uploading some of their publications, such as the Annual Reports.

The Center for Environmental Finance (at that time called the "Environmental Finance Program") assumed the management of EFIN in January 1993. The EPA's Office of Water initially had established EFIN in October 1991, as part of EPA's efforts to improve state and local government capacity to implement environmental programs and projects. A number of programs participated in the planning and development of EFIN --the State Revolving Fund, the Environmental Finance Program (e.g., public-private partnerships), Small Community Outreach and Education (SCORE), Drinking Water, Solid Waste, Air, and Superfund -- since much financing information is general and can be applied across programs and media.