USDA offers funding for high energy cost grants

Agriculture Undersecretary Lisa Mensah announced Thursday the availability of up to $10 million in competitive grants to assist communities with extremely high energy costs.

Grants in the High Energy Cost program are available to communities with annual residential energy costs exceeding 275 percent of the national average. The grants may be used to acquire, construct, extend, upgrade or otherwise improve energy generation, transmission or distribution facilities serving eligible communities. They may also be used to install on- and off-grid renewable energy systems and to make energy efficiency improvements.

For details on eligibility and application requirements and how to obtain application materials, see page 61336 of the Oct. 13, 2015, Federal Register.

The application deadline is Dec. 14, 2015. (USDA)