The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $121 million in critical infrastructure to combat climate change across rural America. The funding will include grants for 15 energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects throughout New Hampshire and Vermont.
Two of those projects are in Windham County.
In Townshend, Big Picture Farm will replace 98 percent of its energy consumption through a 32.7 kW roof-mounted solar array to save $7,000 per year, courtesy of an $18,039 Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant, while producing its award-winning farmstead confections and cheeses.
Staff at the VT-NH Veterinary Clinic, a 70-year-old practice in East Dummerston, received a $16,378 REAP grant to install a 20.7 kW solar array, replacing 76 percent of the clinic's energy usage and saving $4,200 annually.
“Rural America is on the front lines of climate change, and our communities deserve investments that will strengthen all of our resilience,” said USDA deputy secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh in a news release. “The Biden-Harris Administration has created a roadmap for how we can tackle the climate crisis and expand access to renewable energy infrastructure.”
According to Sarah Waring, state director for USDA Rural Development in Vermont and New Hampshire, the funding reflects the many ways the agency helps rural residents, businesses, and communities address economic development, infrastructure, and social service needs.
“With USDA's help, Vermont and New Hampshire farmers, agricultural producers, and businesspeople are adapting to a changing climate by reducing both their costs and carbon footprint,” said Waring. “This funding and the historic Inflation Reduction Act will continue to save Americans money, create jobs, and increase access to renewable energy infrastructure.”
These investments reflect the goals of President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which addresses immediate economic needs and includes the largest-ever federal investment in clean energy for the future.
USDA Rural Development says these investments “will help state and local government entities, nonprofit organizations, and federally recognized Tribes construct, renovate, or purchase and install equipment for essential community facilities for public use in rural areas. They also will help agricultural producers and rural small businesses purchase and install renewable energy systems as well as make energy efficiency improvements.”
For more information, visit rd.usda.gov.