Megan Wittman, megan.wittman@sierraclub.org
La Crosse, WI – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture opened applications for a new grant program for rural electric cooperatives called “New ERA,” designed to promote clean energy, economic development, and job growth in rural areas.
The New ERA program is made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and provides funding for a variety of clean energy projects, including renewable energy generation, battery storage, transmission, and energy efficiency programs. Under the IRA, individual utilities may each apply for up to $970 million in direct support, including both grants and low-cost loans for a wide range of clean energy programs. Rural utility companies will be able to find clean energy portfolios that work for their customers, benefiting from low-cost financing options and grants that can cover a quarter of their initial expenses.
Rural electric cooperatives have 60 days to submit letters of interest to participate in the program. Dairyland Power, a rural electric cooperative based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is eligible for participation. The co-op has not committed to a timely clean energy transition, and has additionally proposed a 525 combined-cycle megawatt gas plant near Superior, Wisconsin, called the Nemadji Trail Energy Center.
“This is the perfect opportunity for Dairyland Power co-op to solve two problems in one sweep. The New ERA program would allow the co-op to make major investments in clean energy at a significantly reduced price. Building out this clean energy infrastructure could be done in place of Dairyland's current plans for the Nemadji Trail Energy Center.
“The New ERA program is the stepping stone Dairyland Power needs to make this transition and invest in healthy, clean, cheap energy. Dairyland’s customers should not be on the hook for power that pollutes and weighs unnecessarily on their checkbooks, especially when a better alternative is readily available,” said Jadine Sonoda, Campaign Coordinator of Sierra Club - Wisconsin Chapter.
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.