Biden administration unveils plans for building wind and solar in rural areas
Jeremy Beaman
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced billions in new grants and loans designed to expand renewable energy installations and other clean energy technologies in rural regions of the country.
The $11 billion in funding, which the department called the largest investment in rural electrification since the New Deal-era Rural Electrification Act, was authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act, the major climate and health care law passed by Democrats last year, and represents the Biden administration’s priorities of decarbonizing the electric sector and slowing climate change, administration officials said.
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“These investments will also combat climate change and significantly reduce air and water pollution that put children’s health at risk,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
USDA will provide $9.7 billion exclusively to eligible rural electric cooperatives to build renewable energy installations, such as wind, solar, and hydropower facilities, as well as carbon capture systems, which are used to capture greenhouse gas emissions at power plants, industrial facilities, and other sites.
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The rest of the funding, made available as partially-forgivable loans through the Powering Affordable Clean Energy program, will be available for a wider range of entities, including renewable-energy projects, corporations, co-ops, and investor-owned utilities.
USDA will begin accepting letters of interest from eligible entities later this summer.