Feds push for more 'green' in rural areas

Growing "green" could be the way to put more "green" on your bottom line. That was the message at a workshop Tuesday hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Agency focusing on the agency's Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP.

The workshop, which took place at the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City, was geared toward small business owners and farmers who were interested in reducing their energy costs or wished to learn ways of generating their own "green power."

According to Perry Mathews, business and cooperative program director for the USDA Rural Development agency, REAP offers combinations of grants and guaranteed loans to help farmers and small businesses in rural area purchase and install renewable energy systems such as wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal, micro-hydro or biomass systems.

The program also assists in the development of energy efficiency projects for irrigation systems, refrigeration units, lighting or heating and cooling systems, according to a news release.

"We're trying to increase the opportunity to bring in federal funds, to bring in more projects to be developed in Utah," he said.

"It's our role to work with our agricultural producers and small businesses to facilitate this effort."

The program is a nationwide effort to promote the use of renewable sources in non-urban areas, said Jeff Jobe, national business cooperative field advisor for USDA Rural Development.

"The administration feels that it's very important from President Barack Obama to (Agriculture) Secretary (Tom) Vilsack," Jobe said.

He said that the agency has set aside $55 million for 2009, $60 million next year and $70 million annually beginning in 2010 for renewable energy development and efficiency programs. The funds are available on a competitive basis, he said.

Perry said that his agency is urging Utah rural small businesses and agriculture producers to apply for a share of the available federal funding. He said that under federal guidelines, eligible rural areas are defined as any community with a population of less than 50,000 people.

For Utah's rural communities to move forward in the future, they will have to use every available resource at their disposal to do so most effectively, he said.

In addition to using federal funds to promote renewable energy, the state is also promoting increased energy efficiency, according to William Chatwin, energy efficiency coordinator for the Utah State Energy Program. He said that the state would like to show rural businesses and farmers ways that they can "multiply the benefits" of producing clean, renewable energy as they improve their efficiency.

"For example, if you are running water down a gradient to a place where you need it to produce farm crops ... while you're running the water downhill, you can be getting electricity off of that water and it can offset some of those pumping costs," he explained.

"You're getting the original production, which is what we need from our agricultural communities," he said.

"You're able to increase those efficiencies, increase the benefits and then recirculate those funds into that local economy," Chatwin said.

E-mail: jlee@desnews.com