Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) update

CEP is a big fan of USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

In Kansas, farmers and rural businesses have been recipients of 141 Rural Energy for America Program grants and loans for a total of $4,907,091 since the program’s inception in 2003.  These awards have leveraged a private sector investment of over $10 million.  The Biomass Crop Assistance Program is an important tool for harvest, collection, storage and transport of existing biomass and for the establishment of dedicated bioenergy crops.   USDA’s first designated BCAP project area was announced for Kansas and Missouri for the establishment of 50,000 acres of dedicated energy crops.  Another project area in Kansas and Oklahoma, sponsored by Abengoa Biofuels, will grow up to 20,000 acres of switchgrass near Abengoa’s future biomass conversion plant near Hugoton.   Also, eleven facilities in Kansas were recently financially rewarded ($7,690,143) for expanding their production of advanced biofuels from feedstocks other than corn starch.

The USDA Rural Development Kansas State Office will be hosting a meeting of stakeholders on:  Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 10:00 am.  The location will be USDA Rural Development State Office, 1303 SW First American Place, Suite 100, Topeka, KS 66604.

To RSVP, please contact: David Kramer, USDA Rural Development, at (785)271-2730 or david.kramer@ks.usda.gov or contact Jessica Bowser at Jessica.Bowser@ks.usda.gov.  

This stakeholder meeting will provide an update on REAP as well as a discussion on ways to leverage resources; and to reiterate USDA’s commitment to achieving energy independence goals.

Dorothy Barnett, Executive Director, Climate + Energy Project