Rural Power Coalition Urges Congress: Boost Clean Energy Programs in the Farm Bill
For over a decade, members of the Rural Power Coalition (RPC) have been working to advance the clean energy transition at rural electric cooperatives across the US. Our coalition of place-based organizations envisions a future for rural communities that rely on clean energy systems rooted in democracy and justice. RPC is deeply invested in maintaining and expanding federal programs that provide critical resources to rural electric co-ops, local and tribal governments, farms, ranches, and households to improve efficiency, lower energy bills, and transition to clean and renewable energy. Our priorities for the Farm Bill include REAP, RESP, PACE, and New ERA.
On May 23rd, the House Agriculture Committee concluded its markup, and RPC is glad to see that the current bill maintains the advancements made in recent years to jump-start a just transition to clean and renewable energy and makes measured improvements to several priority programs.
The committee’s commitment to maintaining the current funding levels for the New ERA and PACE programs is a prudent decision. These programs are highly popular and oversubscribed by $83 billion. We encourage members of Congress to consider increasing these funding levels to meet the demand for New ERA and PACE. Over 157 letters of interest were submitted for New ERA alone, and if they were all fully awarded, it would fund over 750 projects across the country. USDA has also received requests for more than $7.8 billion for the PACE program, which currently has just $1B in total funding.
The solar siting study proposed in the Farm Bill would require an economic analysis of solar panel installations on farmland, including how this will impact crop yields and compatibility with livestock operations. Many of the components in the study would fall under agrivoltaics and we are encouraged to see USDA supporting solar production to be used in tandem with existing ag production activities. The assessment would also look at broader environmental impacts of solar decommissioning for soil health and other factors to return farmland back to full ag production in the future.
The bill also includes language to study how brownfields, contaminated sites, and other incentive programs are used for solar siting in rural areas. There are some areas of concern in the study around the requirements on farmland and evaluating the best and worst suited land for agrivoltaics. The agrivoltaics application of solar is still in its early stages and we are hopeful that these requirements will be additive here and not be used to prevent the proliferation of clean energy projects for farmers across the country.
The Rural Power Coalition applauds the committee's efforts regarding these programs and the promotion of renewable energy solutions. The continuation of the funding levels for New ERA, PACE, and REAP, as well as the extension of the RESP deadline, are essential to rebuilding our rural electric infrastructure.