waterloop: exploring solutions
waterloop #77: The Innovation of Environmental Impact Bonds with Eric Letsinger
Budgets are struggling to keep up with the scale and scope of water projects that need funding in communities across the U.S. At the same time, it is extremely difficult for public agencies to take risks on solutions that could address water challenges in more affordable and effective ways. In this episode Eric Letsinger, CEO of Quantified Ventures, discusses the rise of environmental impact bonds, an innovative financing tool that provides capital from investors for new approaches and bases the return on outcomes. Eric talks about a variety of uses of environmental impact bonds, including for green infrastructure in Washington, D.C.; flood mitigation in Hampton Roads, Virginia; water quality from agriculture in the Midwest; and restoration of coastal wetlands in Louisiana.
waterloop is made possible in part by grants from Spring Point Partners and the Walton Family Foundation.