CARSON CITY, Nev., Feb. 7, 2023 – Ahead of the 2023 State of the Union address, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Nevada State Director Lucas Ingvoldstad today highlighted the ways the Biden-Harris Administration is delivering on its promises to build a better America and rebuild the backbone of the country, the middle class.
“Rural Nevada is strong, resilient, and poised to take advantage of new industry, entrepreneurship, and growth,” Ingvoldstad said. “Under the leadership of president Biden, Vice President Harris, and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, we are looking to make this happen through assistance designed for our state’s rural changemakers. As I reflect on the exciting investments and partnerships we at USDA have made recently in Nevada, I look forward to exciting things in the years to come.”
Here is a look at some of USDA Rural Development’s actions in 2022 to rebuild Nevada’s economy and rural communities, minimize impacts of climate change, create good-paying jobs for American workers, and invest in families.
While visiting Reno in July, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced a $27 million investment for high-speed internet access in rural Nevada. Under the ReConnect Program, Uprise LLC is deploying a fiber-to-the-premises network in Pershing County, Nevada. It will connect 4,884 people, 130 businesses, 22 farms, and seven public schools to high-speed internet. This project will serve people in the Lovelock Indian Colony and several socially vulnerable communities in Pershing County.
Over the course of the year, USDA Rural Development invested more than $2.2 million through the American Rescue Plan’s Emergency Rural Health Care Grants to provide immediate relief to thousands of rural Nevadans by supporting health care organizations across the state.
In November, Nevada joined the Rural Partners Network (RPN), an all-of-government approach to help rural people in 36 rural and Tribal communities access federal funding and resources to help them thrive. RPN is central to President Biden’s commitment to ensure all rural people can benefit from federal resources.
Nationwide, the agency made steady actions in 2022 to rebuild our economy and rural communities, minimize impacts of climate change, create good-paying jobs for American workers, and invest in our families. These actions include implementing climate smart solutions such as making $300 million available under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to expand renewable energy and support energy-efficiency projects for people in rural America. This funding includes $250 million provided by the Inflation Reduction Act. The agency also contributed to food system transformation, rebuilding infrastructure, and supporting job creation.
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.
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/nv.
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