NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 14, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Tennessee State Director Arlisa Armstrong announced today that USDA is funding new projects in rural Tennessee to lower costs, expand access to clean energy and strengthen American farms and small businesses. USDA is making the investments through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), a program that has seen record demand in response to historic funding provided by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
“The investments announced today will spur economic growth in our rural communities through clean energy projects that lower costs for agriculture producers and rural small businesses and families,” Armstrong said. “We are committed to ensuring our local farmers, ranchers and small businesses are directly benefitting from the clean energy economy.”
Today, USDA is investing more than $3 million in grants that will support 20 clean energy projects in rural Tennessee. These projects are only a small part of the more than $256 million in loans and grants that will support more than 1,100 projects in 39 states.
Most of the projects being announced today are funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis.
Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has invested more than $2.7 billion through REAP in 9,901 renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. Almost 7,000 of these projects were funded by over $1 billion provided by the Inflation Reduction Act.
REAP enables agricultural producers and rural small business owners to expand their use of wind, solar, geothermal and small hydropower energy and make energy efficiency improvements. These innovations help them increase their income, grow their businesses and address climate change while lowering energy costs for American families.
Here are examples of the awards being announced today:
- Cumberland Container Corporation, a custom, corrugated cardboard packaging manufacturer in Monterey, Tennessee, is using a grant of more than $499,000 to install a 401.2 kilowatt (kW) Solar PV System on its roof. This small business is expected to generate 553,994 kilowatt hours (kWh) annually, which is enough to power 46 homes.
- Family Care Clinic LLC in McMinnville, Tennessee, is using a grant of more than $132,000 to install a ground-mounted 50 kilowatt (kW) solar system. This clinic facility is expected to generate 67,420-kilowatt hours kWh annually, which is enough to power five homes.
- Shades Farm LLC, a poultry production business in Bradford, Tennessee, is using a grant of more than $335,000 to install a 250 kilowatt (kW) Solar System. This small business is expected to generate 312,931 kilowatt hours (kWh) annually, which is enough to power 26 homes.
- Rhea Partnership, a commercially leased office in Greeneville, Tennessee, is using a grant of more than $22,000 to replace its lighting with new energy efficient fixtures. This project is expected to save 26,451 kWh of energy resulting in $3,331 saved annually. This is enough energy to power two homes.
The investments announced today will benefit farmers, entrepreneurs and others in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. REAP is a part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative which sets a goal that 40% of the benefits from certain federal investments go to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. USDA Rural Development 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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