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Tri-State to Receive $679 Million to Support Renewable Energy Sources from USDA Program

Posted on by darion

Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper approved $7.3 billion from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program program designed to help rural energy and utility companies provide affordable, reliable, and clean energy to their communities across the country.

The announcement includes up to $1.16 billion for three Colorado suppliers. Bennet helped secure Nearly $13 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding to support USDA rural clean energy initiatives, including the New ERA program.

The New ERA program is a $9.7 billion initiative created under the IRA that helps rural electric cooperatives transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy. It is part of the largest investment in rural electrification since the New Deal. This funding includes investments for three rural electric cooperatives in Colorado:

  • Up to $679 million for Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association sourcing renewable energy, including solar, wind and battery storage, and supporting the retirement of coal-fired power plants while maintaining energy reliability
  • $261 million for United Power to offset the costs of transitioning to a strategic, clean energy portfolio
  • $225 million for CORE Electric Cooperative to purchase renewable energy sources, including wind, solar and battery storage, under several power purchase agreements.

In December 2023, Bennett called Calls on the USDA to focus its grant funding on projects that maximize greenhouse gas emission reductions and advance the IRA’s goals of making clean energy more reliable and affordable for rural Americans.

In May 2023, Bennett joined USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Biden administration leaders at the White House announced nearly $11 billion in rural clean energy grants and loan opportunities — including $9.7 billion through the New ERA program. That funding was part of nearly $13 billion that Bennett supported as part of the IRA to accelerate clean energy deployment, create local economic opportunities and lower costs for families in rural communities.