Since President Trump took office, many federal grant programs have been threatened, resulting in staff layoffs, reduced services, and much uncertainty. 

But some positive news is that a $595 million rural renewable energy plan is moving forward under the current administration. 

Wisconsin Public Radio reported that the Trump administration affirmed the Biden-era grant under the Empowering Rural America program. The grant recipient is the La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Dairyland Power Cooperative, a rural electric cooperative pursuing renewable energy projects through the Department of Agriculture. 

With funding intact, Dairyland will work on clean energy projects in Wisconsin and neighboring states. It will do this through transmission line upgrades to secure a more reliable grid to meet growing demands and use all available resources. 

The news that Dairyland secured its grant is encouraging given the frozen and uncertain Inflation Reduction Act funding. 

Amy Barrilleaux from the renewable energy group Clean Wisconsin said that farmers in the state have also been able to access Rural Energy for America program funding. Meanwhile, some homeowners and nonprofits have been able to get funds for their rooftop solar projects. 

Although some grants through this program focus on dirty energy sources such as coal and oil, there is ample space for wind and solar solutions. 

The Trump administration aims for energy independence, so non-oil-producing states such as Wisconsin can benefit from grants that promote rural sustainability. Diversifying resources is a significant part of the Empowering Rural America program, which aligns with Trump’s plan to focus on American-produced energy and natural resources. 

“We know that the energy we produce right here in Wisconsin is affordable and it’s available, and it just makes sense for us to use it,” Barrilleaux said.

With the approved Dairyland grant as a precedent and source of hope, perhaps additional renewable energy projects and transmission infrastructure can hold on to the funding they were once promised for a cleaner, more sustainable planet. 

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“Great to see this example of the Administration taking a common sense approach to energy, and why [economic development] organizations must stay focused on understanding what tools they have in their cleantech-led economic development toolbox,” Aaron Brickman from RMI, a nonprofit focused on energy transition and industrial decarbonization, wrote on LinkedIn. “This rural energy project is good for [Wisconsin] and good for American energy abundance.”

“A reminder that regardless of political winds, renewable energy continues to prove its value for communities and the economy,” wrote Jessica Niekrasz from BioFerm on LinkedIn.

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