TEMPLE, Tx June 26, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Acting State Director Daniel Torres today announced that USDA is funding 12 Texas clean energy projects that will create jobs and lower energy costs for agriculture producers and rural small businesses and families in Comanche County, Navarro County, Cooke County, Palo Pinto County, Johnson County, Rockwall County, Franklin County, Swisher County, Reagan County, Shelby County, Young County, Jones County, Dickens County, and Lynn County.
“As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, USDA is supporting rural small business owners and agricultural producers across Texas in lowering energy costs and expanding their businesses through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), Torres said. “The recently launched Rural Energy Resource Guide will show people who don’t know about our programs, how to fund their transition to cleaner energy through USDA.”
USDA is providing $35 million to 12 rural Texas projects through REAP, part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy and other investment areas flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Some Texas projects include:
• In Canter, Texas, Triple H Farms Inc. will use a $181,150 grant to purchase and install a roof mounted 176 kilowatt (kW) solar system in outside of Center, Texas in rural Shelby County. Triple H Farms operates an eight-house poultry farm. The system will decrease the energy used by the farm by 60 percent and save the business $36,158 annually.
• In Winnsboro, Texas, sole proprietor, Robert Langhoff, will use a $63,521 grant to purchase and install lights, fans, insulation, heaters, and controllers to his poultry houses. Mr. Langhoff owns and operates a family-owned poultry farm in Winnsboro, Franklin County, Texas. The improvements will reduce 35 percent of the energy used by the farm and save $21,285 annually.
• In Rockwall, Texas, CTE Entertainment LP will use a $607,166 grant to purchase and install a roof mount 539.32 kilowatt (kW) solar system in Rockwall, Rockwall County, Texas. CTE is a family entertainment venue, and the new system will decrease the energy used by the business by 56 percent annually. This system is expected to generate enough energy to power 73 homes.
The projects are part of a larger national announcement of nearly $100 million in loans and grants funded across America through REAP. A complete list of all REAP projects can be found here.
Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has invested more than $2.1 billion through REAP in 7,216 renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements that will help rural business owners lower energy costs, generate new income, and strengthen their resiliency of operations.
USDA continues to accept REAP applications and will hold funding competitions quarterly through Sept. 30, 2024. The funding includes a dedicated portion for underutilized renewable energy technologies. For additional information, contact your local energy coordinator.
Background: Rural Energy Resource Guide
Today, USDA also unveiled the “Rural Energy Resource Guide” which will make it easier for rural communities to identify federal funding for clean energy, including programs made possible by President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act.
The guide showcases USDA Rural Development programs that are helping individuals and organizations finance renewable energy systems and infrastructure across rural America. Programs featured in the guide offer funding to:
• Make energy-efficient home repairs.
• Finance small- or large-scale energy infrastructure.
• Fund energy efficiency equipment for business and industry.
• Generate emergency energy in rural areas.
• Produce clean energy from sources such as biobased materials.
The Rural Energy Resource Guide also includes stories from Rural Development customers on ways USDA programs and services have helped them meet their clean energy needs.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. Visit the Rural Data Gateway to learn how and where these investments are impacting rural America. To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit the GovDelivery Subscriber Page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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