The U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, has announced clean energy investments in 23 states to reduce pollution and strengthen rural America’s power grid at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s PowerXchange annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
The announcement includes the first five awards totaling $139 million under the Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program and $2.2 billion in funding to 39 projects to help ensure over 2 million people in rural areas have access to reliable electricity.
USDA is investing $28 million in Wisconsin and Minnesota to help utility providers and electric cooperatives build and improve electric infrastructure, smart-grid technologies, and renewable energy systems, through the Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee Program.
East Central Energy, providing electric service to 63,800 consumers through 8,511 miles of line in 11 counties in east central Minnesota and Washburn, Douglas, and Burnett counties in northwest Wisconsin, will utilize electric infrastructure loan of $28,249,000 to connect 1,028 consumers and build 84 miles of line.
Electric infrastructure projects announced will help rural business owners, families and individuals in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Texas and Wisconsin.
