USDA Announces More Than $3 Billion Investment in Rural America

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration today announced over $3 billion in funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program. Made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, these investments will help not-for-profit rural electric cooperatives across Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming transition to affordable and reliable clean energy. 

Of this funding, $2.5 billion has been officially awarded to Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association. This investment will enable Tri-State and its member-owners to deploy 1,040 megawatts of renewable energy and more than 200 megawatts of energy storage, while supporting the retirement of 1,100 megawatts of coal-fired generation, without adversely impacting reliability. These initiatives will benefit rural communities across Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming—creating more than 2,000 jobs, saving farmers and rural businesses $430 million over 10 years, and eliminating 5.8 million tons of climate-warming emissions annually, equivalent to taking 1.3 million gasoline-powered cars off the road each year.

The remaining New ERA funding announced today represents USDA’s selection of six additional rural electric cooperatives, with nearly $1 billion allocated to advance similar clean energy initiatives across the country.

Following is a reaction from Jeffrey McManus, federal legislative advocate at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council): 

“The New ERA program is a game-changer for rural America, helping rural electric cooperatives like Tri-State to retire costly, outdated coal plants while transitioning to cleaner, more affordable energy sources. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, rural communities across Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming will see lower energy bills, more good-paying jobs, cleaner air, and the opportunity to thrive in a more sustainable future.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law, and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd). Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.