USDA Announces Investment Of $24 Million In 112 Clean Energy Projects In PA; $20.5 Million To Allegheny Electric Cooperative Under Rural Energy Programs

On October 18, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the investment of $24 million in 112 clean energy projects in Pennsylvania to create jobs and help lower their energy bills through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. 

USDA is also investing $20.5 million in Allegheny Electric Cooperative. This award will help reduce energy costs and secure reliable, clean energy for rural residents in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The funding is expected to support the cooperative’s investment in 25 megawatts of clean energy, which will help serve the electricity needs of approximately 235,000 households served by Allegheny’s 14-member electric distribution cooperatives.

In addition to lowering costs for rural households, the New ERA grant will allow Allegheny to meet over 80% of its power requirements from carbon-free resources by 2026. 

This will mean a reduction of nearly 100,000 tons of climate pollution annually, or the equivalent of providing electricity for nearly 18,000 homes.

More than 600 of the funded projects under both programs were announced and are made possible by the federal Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis.

“Farmers, rural business owners and electric cooperatives are the backbone of our economy, and we are partnering with them to expand their operations while creating jobs and lowering energy costs,” Secretary Vilsack said. “The investments the Biden-Harris Administration are announcing today will support rural communities as they transition to clean energy and drive economic prosperity here in Pennsylvania and across this nation.”

Click Here for a list of projects funded in Pennsylvania and other states.

Click Here for the complete announcement.

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[Posted: October 18, 2024]  PA Environment Digest