A New Era for Our Planet – and People in Rural Mississippi
Dr. Trina N. George, State Director for USDA Rural Development in Mississippi
Established in 1994, USDA Rural Development was created to administer the former Farmers Home Administration’s non-farm financial programs for rural housing, community facilities, water and waste disposal, and rural businesses. These programs are vital to establishing thriving communities for the nation’s farmers and their neighbors in rural communities. These rural communities are the backbone of America, and when I meet with folks statewide, I always tell them we can help build their communities from the ground up. As someone who grew up in a rural Mississippi, I’m passionate about giving these communities the tools they need to thrive and ensure their communities remain great places to live while offering their families the same opportunities afforded in urban areas. As President Lincoln once said, USDA is truly the “People’s Department.”
This week is Earth Week and people everywhere are looking for ways to make our world a better place. This includes rural Americans, who thanks to programs like those in President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, are leading the fight against climate change, while making their communities healthier and reducing their energy costs.
Fighting climate change and creating economic prosperity go hand in hand. “When I think of climate change, I think of jobs,” President Biden said.
On this Earth Day, USDA is highlighting our partnership with rural communities to sustainably cultivate the future here in Mississippi and around the country.
Just like the President, we at USDA Rural Development believe that every person, no matter where you call home, has a right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live in a healthy community—now and into the future. Every single day, we work to ensure these things. And with historic investments like the Inflation Reduction Act, we've also created new programs to transform rural power production and create good jobs for people in rural areas across the country.
In Mississippi, we have so much to celebrate this Earth Day. Over the last year, we’ve invested over $22 million dollars into renewable energy and water and wastewater projects alone, helping reduce energy costs and giving residents access to clean, reliable sources of water through programs like the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and our Water and Environmental Programs.
For example, Delta Grain Co., LLC will be using $769,200 in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to install a fixed tilt ground-mount photovoltaic system through the REAP, which will generate over 950,000 kilowatts of solar electric power per year in Leflore County, Mississippi. This project will significantly reduce costs to their operation, increasing revenues and reducing costs for their customers. REAP has also been used by producers like Turkey Creek Farms, Inc., who will use $134,312 in IRA funding to install end and vent doors, brood curtains, cooling system, heaters, fans, LED lights and ceiling repairs to four (4) poultry houses in Richton, Mississippi. This project will reduce energy costs by 71,323 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity and 7,014 gallons of propane, saving nearly $20,000 a year.
Progress Community Water Association will use $2.79 million in loan and grant funding to finish water system improvements in the Town of Purvis, Mississippi, including water line improvements and construction of a new water treatment facility and an elevated storage tank, ensuring residents have water service that is both reliable and cost effective.
Projects like this these make our rural communities in Mississippi safer, healthier, and more prosperous. What we do in Mississippi is part of a larger story playing out across the country and around the world.
The President’s Investing in America agenda is creating good-paying clean energy jobs, lowering costs, meeting our climate goals, advancing environmental justice and conservation, and strengthening communities that for too long were left behind or left out. The President has given Native Americans a stronger voice in federal affairs, and USDA has built new land stewardship and food harvesting programs based on the knowledge and traditions indigenous people have passed down through generations.
Here in Mississippi and throughout the country, USDA Rural Development will continue to play an important role in all these goals. The investments we’re making will bring wealth and resources to people in rural areas and ensure they have every opportunity to succeed right in their own communities.
USDA is proud to celebrate Earth Day to show how we are investing in locally driven solutions to expand access to renewable energy, clean water and wastewater systems, and essential services that create jobs, build critical infrastructure and create sustainable futures for rural America. We are committed to unleashing the potential of all rural and Tribal communities to build a secure and successful future for all.
For more information and to contact your local USDA Rural Development office, please go to www.rd.usda.gov/ms. To learn more about biobased products, go to www.biopreferred.gov. For more information on how the Inflation Reduction Act is enhancing USDA investments in clean energy, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/inflation-reduction-act.