The White House is making a landmark move to support the clean energy transition in rural America.
As Reuters reported, the Biden administration recently unveiled plans to fund 16 clean energy projects through the Inflation Reduction Act's Empowering Rural America program at a cost of $7.3 billion.
That outlay is the "largest investment in rural electrification since the New Deal," per a White House statement.
The infrastructure projects kick off in Wisconsin, where Dairyland Power Cooperative is receiving $573 million to secure eight installations across solar and wind power. Dairyland estimated that the funding will facilitate 42% lower electric costs for customers over 10 years, per a press release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rural communities "too long have faced higher energy costs than the rest of the country," the White House noted.
Those savings fit into the larger goals of the funded projects. The White House stated the transition to clean energy will lower rural energy's comparatively high costs, increase energy reliability, tackle the climate crisis, and create jobs and economic opportunities.
The reach of the 16-project initiative is sizable, with benefits for around five million rural electric co-op members hailing from 23 states, the White House said. The initiative also will support 4,500 permanent jobs and over 16,000 construction jobs.
The effect on dirty energy is massive, with the White House estimating a reduction of 43.7 million tons of planet-warming gas pollution annually through the 16 projects. That is equal to wiping out the pollution of 10 million gas-powered cars annually.
This huge investment by the Biden administration is another critical step in the switch to clean energy that can help slow the warming of the planet. Sustainable energy has numerous benefits, including facilitating energy savings, lowering reliance on dirty energy, and creating a more resilient electrical grid.
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Agricultural secretary Tom Vilsack touted the impact of the program in a statement to Reuters, saying, "One in five rural Americans will benefit from these clean energy investments."
"Put simply, this is rural power, for rural America," Vilsack added.
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