USDA Rural Development Texas State Director Lillian Salerno announced that USDA is investing $1.6 million in renewable energy projects and energy efficiency improvements in Texas. The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) delivers on the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. These investments will cut energy costs for farmers and ag producers that can instead be used to create jobs and new revenue streams for people in their communities.
“These energy-saving investments by the Biden-Harris Administration will bring critical cost-savings to farmers, ranchers and other small business owners who represent both the heart and the backbone of rural economies in Texas,” said Salerno. “These Biden-Harris investments will free up dollars for more job creation and the production of more food and fiber, which is so necessary not just for rural Texas but for the rest of the country that depends on Texas.”
This funding is made possible in part by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s largest-ever investment in combatting the climate crisis. It also advances the President’s Investing in America’s agenda to grow the nation’s economy from the middle-out and bottom up.
In Texas, 10 projects are announced:
• MCAS Properties LLC will use a $93,000 grant to help purchase and install high efficiency washing machines at Newark Wash & Dry, a family-owned laundromat. MCAS owns and operates Newark Wash and Dry, a family-owned laundromat in Newark Texas (Wise County). MCAS has been operating Newark Wash and Dry since 2018. The new system is expected to replace 16 percent of annual utility use.
• Viking Farming Company LLC will use a $227,000 grant to purchase and install a 232.2 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic ground mount solar array in Knippa, Texas (Uvalde County). Viking has operated the farm for six years. The solar array will produce enough energy to replace 100 percent of the energy used by the irrigation pump supplying a two center-pivot system. The system is expected to produce enough energy to power 34 homes.
• BL West Texas Group LLC will use a $347,000 grant to to purchase and install a 185.5 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic combination roof and ground mounted system in Big Lake Texas (Reagan County). BL West Texas has been in operation since 2015. The new system is expected to replace 108 percent of annual electricity use of the hotel and save $24,483 annually.
• West Lone Star LTD will use a $349,000 grant to purchase and install a combination ground and roof mounted 182.535 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic system in Nolan County, Sweetwater Texas. West Lone Star LTD, doing business as Best Western Sweetwater, has been in operation since 2006. The new system is expected to replace 99.3 percent of annual electricity use of the hotel and save $15,762 annually.
• Action Ventures Inc. dba Action Buggies will use a $39,000 grant to purchase and install a combination ground and roof mounted 182.535 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic system in Sweetwater, Nolan County, Texas. West Lone Star LTD, doing business as Best Western Sweetwater, has been in operation since 2006. The new system is expected to replace 99.3 percent of annual electricity use of the hotel and save $15,762 annually.
• Claussen Inc. will use a $100,000 grant to purchase and install a 63.21 kilowatt (kW) solar system. Claussen Inc., doing business as Lampasas Building Components, is a family-owned business in Lampasas, Texas, Lampasas County. The business manufactures wood, roof, and floor trusses for residential and commercial buildings. The new system is expected to save $11,650 annually and generate enough energy to power nine homes.
• Tridev Hotel LLC will use a $222,000 grant to purchase and install a 190.35 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic roof mounted system. Tridev Hotel LLC, dba Hunter House Inn, is in Kerr County, Ingram Texas and has been in operation since 2018. The array will help reduce the utility costs of the hotel. The new system will reduce the energy used by the hotel and save the hotel $25,565 annually.
• Guadalupe Brewing Company LLC will use a $82,000 grant to purchase and install a 61.06 kilowatt (kW) solar system at a craft brewery. The array will be placed on the roof of a craft brewery which has been in business since 2012 in New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas. The location houses a brewery and serves artisan pizzas cooked on site. The new system will replace 63 percent of the annual electricity used and save $11,296 annually.
• Jennifer Hamilton sole proprietor, will use a $67,000 grant to purchase & install a combined 79.2 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic solar system at two poultry farms. The arrays will be placed outside of Douglasville and Atlanta, Texas, and in rural Cass County, Texas. Jennifer Hamilton has owned the poultry farms for over 10 years. The new system is expected to replace 78 percent of annual electricity use and save $16,200 annually.
• Allen C. Curry will use a $164,000 grant to purchase and install more energy efficient doors, fans, controllers, curtains, and electronic systems. Allen Curry operates a family-owned poultry facility outside Pittsburg Texas in rural Camp County. Mr. Curry has been operating poultry houses since 1993. The new system is expected to replace 30 percent of annual utility use, saving $20,571 annually.
Today’s announcement is part of a $207 million national announcement highlighting 675 projects in 42 states through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) program. 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 on application deadlines and submission details, see page 19239 of the March 31 Federal Register.
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 subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit GovDelivery subscriber page.
###
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.