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Part of Biden-Harris Administration’s $808 Million Investment to Strengthen Infrastructure, Create Jobs Throughout U.S.

On August 28, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director of Rural Development in Vermont and New Hampshire, Sarah Waring, announced that the Agency is investing $1,064,000 to municipalities and non-profit organizations in both states through the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. The grant funding is part of the Agency’s $808 million national infrastructure and jobs initiative that USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced earlier today, focused on helping rural cooperatives and utilities build and improve electric infrastructure, water systems and community facilities in rural areas. The investments will help 480,000 people in 36 states and two U.S. territories stay connected, safe and employed with good- paying jobs.

“USDA invests in rural America because we know strong communities are rooted in their people,” Secretary Vilsack said. “Powering people with modern infrastructure creates good-paying jobs and supports opportunities for people to build brighter futures. The investments we’re announcing today demonstrate the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to ensuring that people who live and work in rural areas have every opportunity to succeed – and that they can find those opportunities right at home.”

“With this essential funding through Community Facilities grants, rural towns throughout the Twin States will see quality of life improve in real time,” Waring said. “From a state- of-the-art Styrofoam recycling machine in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, to municipal buildings generating renewable energy in Coos County, New Hampshire, these investments provide a path forward for people looking to make the right economic and environmental choices. And those choices are made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration’s insight into the needs of rural communities, and fearless action on their behalf.”

The funding advances President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of “Bidenomics,” to grow the American economy from the middle-out and bottom up – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $500 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good- paying jobs and building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.

The 139 investments announced will help people living in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Puerto Rico and the Marshall Islands.

For example, in Lyndonville, Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District will purchase a commercial-grade polystyrene recycling machine with help from a $36,000 Community Facilities grant. In the first year of use, it will recycle roughly four tons of waste material, which will be sold to a commercial buyer to use in foam insulation panels.

In Colebrook, New Hampshire, solar panels on public works buildings will offset 100% of the costs to operate them. This will provide approximately $81,000 in annual savings over the next 25 years, and generate carbon-free energy on site.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, 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. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

For NH and VT – Rural Development US Dept of Ag

Sarah Waring, State Director
87 State Street Suite 324, P O Box 249
Montpelier, VT 05601

Sarah.Waring@usda.gov