On January 19, USDA (US Department of agriculture) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA will make up to $10 million available to help people living in rural towns develop community renewable energy projects that will help them save money on energy while also contributing to the national effort to reduce pollution that contributes to climate change. This money will be used to assist residents in previously underinvested and disinvested communities.
The USDA is making money available via the new Rural Energy Pilot Program to assist rural Americans in rebuilding better, stronger, and more fairly than ever before. USDA is supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of making environmental justice a part of every agency’s mission in order to address the disproportionate health, environmental, economic, and climatic consequences on disadvantaged areas via this initiative.
Subsidies of up to $10 million will be provided by the USDA to rural regions that are substantially underrepresented. The funds might be used to develop community-scale renewable energy systems and technologies that decrease climate pollution while also increasing resilience to the effects of climate change. Solar, wind, geothermal, micro-hydroelectric, and biomass/bioenergy are examples of these technologies. The money may be utilized for community energy planning, capacity development, technical support, energy efficiency, and weatherization up to 20% of the total amount.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the USDA is awarding points to programs that assist communities in recovering from the COVID-19 epidemic, advancing equality, and combating climate change. These bonus points will boost the possibility of financing for projects addressing these crucial issues in rural America.