No More REAP For Farmers

No More REAP For Farmers

Rick Worthington
Rick Worthington
Farmers and small business owners who want to embrace renewable energy will not get any help from the federal government under the proposed farm bill headed to the U.S. House of Representatives this week.

Funding for the Rural Energy Assistance Program (REAP) has been eliminated in the current draft.

The program has provided guaranteed grants or loans to purchase, install and construct renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements to non-residential buildings and facilities.

Katie Rock, a policy associate at the Center for Rural Affairs, says the program also has funded renewable technologies that reduce energy consumption.

"So, the cost savings that are offered through these programs, once they can make these upgrades, can be substantial for farms and businesses enough that they can expand or hire more people to run their business," she stresses.

The farm bill is renewed every five years. The 2014 bill included $50 million a year in REAP funding.

Rock notes that many farmers want to be more energy independent, but with farm income at its lowest point in 12 years, they can't tackle such projects without the loans or grants offered through REAP.

"Especially right now in our farm economy, any creative way to finance these kinds of changes are a great asset to small businesses," she states.

Since 2008, more than 13,000 projects in all 50 states have received REAP awards.

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