To our leaders in Washington:
We, the undersigned, demand that you defend federal programs that ensure community driven, reliable, and affordable while supporting healthy communities, well-paying jobs, and the building of rural wealth. RPC is currently focused on preserving programs and policies that center the people who live and work in rural communities; protecting small, mid-sized, and emerging farmers as well as agricultural communities as a whole.
These programs must be defended, staffed, and funded in ongoing budgets:
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps six-million low-income residents pay utility bills, including during dangerously hot summer months and sub-freezing winter temperatures.
New Energy Tax Credits & Direct Pay, which provides incentives to modernize America’s energy generation and grid infrastructure, while enabling households, businesses, and municipalities to develop new energy projects.
Additionally, we ask that you:
Encourage further community investment in new energy sources and support pathways to address community concerns around project siting and plant retirements.
Promote energy efficiency and improvement of rural housing stock by expanding how programs can be utilized.
Support small, mid-sized, and emerging farmers as well as agricultural communities as a whole.
Not place unnecessary restrictions on new energy ‘siting’ and allow farmers to decide what to grow on their land - whether that’s corn, cotton, beef, wind energy, or solar energy.
Encourage solar developers to broaden adoption of agrivoltaics - allowing farmers multiple revenue streams on the same piece of land.
Continue the nation’s commitment to rural electrification by safeguarding the community ownership and governance of rural electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and other public power infrastructure.
Signed,
The Rural Power Coalition
Tell Congress to Keep Rural Energy Affordable and Reliable
Tell members of Congress that if they want the support (and votes) of rural America, they must show that they are putting in the work to protect critical investments in rural energy jobs, electricity savings, and grid reliability in the upcoming farm bill and annual appropriations.