Biden-Harris Administration Aims to Lower Costs, Create Jobs With New Investments in Rural Partners Network

Projects will Bring Clean Water and Energy to Underserved Rural Communities in 9 States and Puerto Rico

FORT VALLEY, Ga., Aug. 15, 2024 - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden today announced a new slate of economic development projects to lower costs, create jobs and upgrade critical infrastructure in rural and Tribal communities participating in the Rural Partners Network (RPN).

The Biden-Harris Administration launched the network in April 2022 to ensure people in historically underserved communities receive their fair share of funding from federal agencies. Since then, USDA has provided more than $1 billion to support thousands of economic development projects in RPN communities.

"The Biden-Harris Administration has fought to win unprecedented resources for rural communities, and the Rural Partners Network gets them to the people who need them most," Under Secretary Gooden said. "These latest investments help ensure every community in this country has clean water and energy, good jobs and a prosperous future."

USDA is awarding approximately $49 million in grants and loans to support 59 economic development projects that will help rural and Tribal communities address immediate needs and create sustainable economic growth. Many of these projects are the direct result of collaboration between community networks and federal RPN staff living and working in the communities.

Projects will lower costs for families and small businesses, create jobs and expand business opportunities. Communities will use funding to transition to clean energy, modernize infrastructure, provide affordable housing and enhance community water and food supplies.

The funding will support RPN communities in nine states and Puerto Rico.

In Georgia, businesses are receiving grants to transition to clean solar power and save on energy costs. Boston Gin Company in Thomas County is receiving a $262,625 grant to install solar technology that will save the cotton gin company more than $34,000 a year and provide enough energy to power 37 homes. Helical Holdings LLC in Baker County is receiving a $942,623 grant for solar technology that will save the company more than $92,000 a year and generate enough energy to power 215 homes. One family farm is receiving a $457,500 grant to buy a new replacement grain dryer that will save them more than $27,000 a year.

In Alaska, a nonprofit health organization serving Tribal communities will lower costs through energy efficiency improvements. Investments will also save 50 jobs at a fuel distribution facility and create 40 more jobs at a seafood processing plant.

In Kentucky, Appalachian communities will replace waterlines compromised by toxic materials and age. Investments will also help farmers and small businesses transition to clean energy.

In Mississippi, the Fannie Lou Hamer Cancer Foundation will build a new educational event center. Investments will also help create a law enforcement training academy at a community college and allow a cottonseed cooperative to save jobs and buy new equipment to create oil, meal and other products from cottonseed.

In New Mexico, investments will help small businesses and entrepreneurs expand their operations and reach. A community devastated by wildfires and flooding will renovate and expand a facility to provide food, water and other necessities to people in need.

In Nevada, funding will provide loans to grow small businesses and create jobs. It will also help a rural electric cooperative serving distressed communities replace streetlights with LED lights, saving more than $68,000 a year.

In North Carolina, a poultry farm and a food technology business will save thousands of dollars each year by introducing clean, efficient energy to their operations. Investments will also help rehabilitate and provide safe, affordable homes for seniors and low-income families. Funding will also relocate a health care provider to a community in need.

In West Virginia, funding will help expand and upgrade critical water and sewer services and improve community facilities such as local government offices and health care centers.

In Wisconsin, several farmers and small businesses will install clean energy technologies to become more energy efficient, saving thousands of dollars each year. Funding will also help a cooperative increase the amount of renewable fuel sold at its pumps by more than 2 million gallons a year.

And in Puerto Rico, a local snack manufacturer will use a grant to install a solar-powered energy system that will save it more than $22,000 a year.

View the full list of investments online.

These investments come a week after the White House announced a memorandum of understanding that formalizes the relationship between government and philanthropy to provide a strategic focus on rural communities that addresses barriers to accessing federal programs with a specific focus on advancing equity and prosperity in rural America. This partnership will enhance RPN's work by helping communities develop applications, plan projects, and leverage pre-development expenses and matching funds.

Background: Rural Partners Network

Launched in April 2022 and expanded in November 2022, RPN is now active in 36 community networks(link is external) in 10 states and Puerto Rico.

Community networks receive support from full-time USDA staff who live and work locally. These staff members provide technical assistance based on each community's needs, helping them navigate federal programs, build relationships and apply for funding. In addition to USDA staff, there are staff at more than 20 other federal agencies dedicated to RPN and making resources across the government easier to access for people in rural communities.

RPN communities also benefit from coordination through other federal efforts such as the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization(link is external) and President Biden's Justice40 Initiative(link is external) and Investing in America(link is external) agenda. The Rural Prosperity Interagency Policy Council, co-led by the White House Domestic Policy Council and USDA, advises the RPN program and ensures rural voices are heard and reflected in national policies that will benefit all people in rural communities.

For more information on RPN, visit Rural.gov(link is external).

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. Visit the Rural Data Gateway to learn how and where these investments are impacting rural America. To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit the GovDelivery Subscriber Page(link is external).

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

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