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AMANA, Iowa, US, September 6, 2006 (Refocus
Weekly)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide
US$17.5 million to projects which develop renewable energy
resources.
Agriculture secretary Mike Johanns says funding from the
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Program will go to 375
recipients in 36 states, and will compliment federal efforts to
increase energy independence through the development of renewable
energy as well as improving efficiency of existing systems.
“These grants will directly promote energy savings and increased
energy production in rural America," he says. “The Bush
administration is committed to providing more energy from within our
nation's borders, especially here in America's agricultural
heartland, and these grants will help accomplish this goal.”
The 2002 Farm Bill authorized the Renewable Energy Systems & Energy
Efficiency Improvements program. Funding recipients include
agricultural producers or small rural businesses and residents that
have financial need. The funds can cover 25% of eligible project
costs, and it provides loan guarantees of $10 million to fund 50% of
projects.
The program allocated $4.6 million in federal funds in loan
guarantees and grants earlier this year. Eligible projects include
wind, solar, biomass or geothermal, or hydrogen derived from wind,
solar or geothermal sources. Awards are made on a competitive basis
for the purchase of renewable energy systems and to make energy
improvements.
States which received funding under this round include Alaska,
Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa,
Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North
Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming. Since the
program was established in 2003, USDA has provided $87.3 million in
grants and $34.3 million in loan guarantees to 844 applicants.
Many of the latest projects will increase energy efficiency or
generate green power. For example, Energique of Iowa will receive a
grant of $31,444 to install a geothermal heating system to save 60%
of energy costs. In Pennsylvania, Brubaker Farms will receive
$223,249 to install an anaerobic digester that will use farm waste
to increase farm revenue.
Johanns and energy secretary Samuel Bodman will co-host a national
renewable energy conference in October to create partnerships and
strategies necessary to accelerate commercialization of renewable
energy industries and distribution systems, a key component of
President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative.
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