The Infrastructure Investment an Jobs Act (IIJA) is a once in a generation opportunity for electric cooperatives to invest in their communities. Most IIJA funding opportunities will take the form of federal grants or cooperative agreements. Similar to government contracts and loans, IIJA funding awards will be subject to a myriad of legal obligations. Most of these obligations are not unique to the IIJA, and electric cooperatives have experience with similar obligations by virtue of doing business with the federal government as a contractor or borrower (think RUS loan). However, electric cooperatives should be aware of both the existing and unique legal obligations that attach to federal funding under the IIJA.
