Tell USDA: Keep Clean Energy Within Reach for Rural America

If a farmer needs help paying for a clean-energy project, telling them to pay for the whole thing first is not much help.

But that is effectively what the Trump administration is now doing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rewritten the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP — a federal program designed to help farmers and rural small businesses invest in renewable energy and energy-efficiency upgrades.

Under the new rules, applicants generally must complete their projects before applying for a grant. Then they must operate those projects long enough to provide 12 months of real-world energy data.

In other words: Find the money yourself. Build the project yourself. Run it for a year. Then ask the government whether it might help pay for it.

That turns a program meant to make clean energy more affordable into one that could shut out the farmers and small businesses least able to front the money. This could dramatically reduce the number of renewable energy projects brought online.​
The administration is also adding new restrictions specifically on solar and wind. Ground-mounted solar and wind projects on certified cropland will no longer qualify, and other solar and wind projects face additional limits tied to historical energy use and where components are manufactured.

USDA says the changes will reduce risk and ensure grants go to projects that can prove their performance.

But farmers should not need deep pockets just to qualify for help that was created to help them in the first place.

REAP has helped rural businesses lower energy bills, modernize equipment and invest in homegrown energy. Putting new financial hurdles in front of those projects moves us in the wrong direction.

The new rule takes effect this month and USDA is accepting public comments on the changes.

Please sign the petition urging USDA to reverse these barriers and keep REAP accessible to farmers and rural small businesses investing in clean energy.

The petition to USDA reads: Do not turn the Rural Energy for America Program into a reimbursement program only well-financed applicants can use. Reverse requirements that force farmers and rural small businesses to complete projects and document a year of performance before applying for grants, and remove unnecessary barriers to renewable-energy investments. Keep REAP focused on helping rural communities lower costs and build a cleaner energy future.
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Source:

https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026/10/trump-admin-adds-constraints-to-rural-energy-grants-01103300