Acting New York State Director for USDA Rural Development Brian Murray today announced that the agency is investing $7,866,672 in loan and grant funding across four projects. These funds will be used to build or improve renewable energy infrastructure and to help rural communities, agricultural producers and businesses lower energy costs in rural New York. This is part of a National announcement where the Department is investing $464 million to build or improve renewable energy infrastructure and to help rural communities, agricultural producers and businesses lower energy costs in 48 states and Puerto Rico.
“USDA continues to prioritize climate-smart infrastructure to help rural America build back better, stronger and more equitably than ever before,” Murray said. “We recognize that lowering energy costs for small businesses and agricultural producers helps to expand economic development and employment opportunities for people in America’s rural towns and communities. The investments we are announcing today demonstrate how the Biden-Harris Administration has put rural communities at the heart of climate action and climate-smart solutions.”
USDA is financing $129 million of these investments through the Rural Energy for America Program. This program provides funding to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements. These climate-smart investments will conserve and generate more than 379 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) in rural America, which equates to enough electricity to power 35,677 homes per year.
USDA is financing $335 million of these investments through the Electric Loan Program. The loans will help build or improve 1,432 miles of line to strengthen reliability in rural areas. The loans include $102 million for investments in smart grid technology, which uses digital communications to detect and react to local changes in electricity usage.
The department is announcing investments today in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming and Puerto Rico.
Examples of projects in New York include:
- Carol A. Waterman will use $17,056 in Rural Development grant funding to purchase and install a 33-kilowatt solar array. This project save $6,829 per year and replace 38,495-kilowatt hours (100 percent) per year.
- GSPP Baxter 2 LLC will use $3,360,000 in Rural Development loan funding to help provide permanent debt service for a 4.1 MW ground-mounted solar project in New Windsor, New York. The solar array is expected to produce 5,365,324 kilowatt hours of electricity in the first full year. Funding Incorporated includes a $4,923,213 applicant contribution. Windsor, New York (Orange County). The solar array is expected to produce 7,145,216 kilowatt hours of electricity in the first full year.
- GSPP Baxter 1 LLC will use $4,480,000 in Rural Development loan funding to provide permanent debt service for a 5.6 MW ground-mounted solar project in New Windsor, New York (Orange County). GSPP Baxter I, LLC is one of multiple GSPP commercial-scale solar projects being constructed in New York with the same organizational structure. The solar array is expected to produce 7,151,372 kilowatt hours of electricity in the first full year.
- Marc Jaffe, of Snowdance Farms, will use $9,616 in Rural Development grant funding to purchase and install a 12 kilowatt solar array. This project will save $1,695 per year and will replace 14,127 kilowatt hours (100 percent) per year. Snowdance Farm raises turkeys, chicken, pigs, and sheep in Livingston Manor, New York (Sullivan County).
To learn more about these and other resources for rural areas, contact a USDA Rural Development state office.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, 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. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In 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.