The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced approximately $6 billion in nationwide clean energy investments this week, with over $1.5 billion awarded to North Dakota. This funding is part of the USDA’s Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program and will support thousands of jobs, lower electricity costs for businesses and families, and reduce climate pollution by millions of tons each year.
New ERA and Its Impact
The New ERA program was made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and is also part of the Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that at least 40% of the benefits of certain federal climate and clean energy investments flow to disadvantaged communities facing pollution and underinvestment (source: USDA News Release).
“Throughout the last four years, the Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized investments in and created tremendous opportunities for rural America. The impacts and legacy of those investments in our infrastructure, businesses, cooperatives, communities, and people here in North Dakota will be experienced for decades to come,” said Erin Oban, USDA Rural Development State Director (source: USDA North Dakota).
Funding Breakdown for North Dakota
In North Dakota, two major recipients of the funding include:
- Great River Energy – $794 million: This funding will support approximately 1,275 megawatts of renewable energy projects in rural areas across Minnesota and North Dakota. This includes large-scale wind energy and distributed renewable energy investments, which are expected to create over 1,600 jobs, lower costs for members by about $40 million annually, and reduce climate pollution by over 5.49 million tons each year (source: Great River Energy).
- Basin Electric Power Cooperative – $775 million: This funding will enhance existing cooperative-owned renewable assets and obtain additional renewable energy generation, expected to total over 1,400 megawatts to serve cooperative members in nine states. These projects will create both short- and long-term jobs, reduce carbon pollution, and provide estimated cost benefits of over $400 million to members over the life of the New ERA program (source: Basin Electric).
Nationwide Impact
The USDA has now awarded about 90% of the New ERA funding available to benefit rural electric cooperatives and their members, obligating approximately $9 billion of the program’s $9.7 billion budget authority. This represents more than $14.5 billion in grants and loans benefiting 35 states, with rural electric cooperatives committing to build or purchase more than 13 gigawatts of clean energy (source: USDA Fact Sheet).
According to the USDA, these projects will create good-paying jobs, lower energy costs for rural communities, and reduce pollution. They will also enhance the resilience of the country’s electric grid and advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) News Release
- USDA North Dakota
- Great River Energy
- Basin Electric Power Cooperative
- USDA New ERA Fact Sheet
